A Bradenton man awaiting trial on rape and molestation charges was arrested in Indiana this week on a warrant from Manatee County charging him with 49 counts of child pornography. Derrick Faircloth, 39, was arrested in July by Manatee County sheriff's deputies and charged with sexual battery, lewd and lascivious molestation, introduction of obscene materials to a minor and delivering a controlled substance to a minor. ...more

November 6, 2009

More than 55,000 revelers were expected for the Fantasy Fest parade Saturday night, and thousands of locals and visitors participated in a Masquerade March through Old Town on Friday evening. ...more

November 1, 2009

Former middle school teacher and convicted sex offender Debra LaFave can again have unsupervised contact with children, a judge ruled Thursday. ...more

October 30, 2009

Former teacher and convicted sex offender Debra LaFave can again have unsupervised contact with children, a judge ruled this morning. ...more

October 29, 2009

A judge is expected to decide today whether former teacher and convicted sex offender Debra LaFave can have limited contact with children. The former English teacher at Greco Middle School teacher is asking to be allowed around a limited number of children of her family and friends as long as she is supervised and the parents of each child agree. ...more

October 29, 2009

A judge is set to decide Thursday whether former teacher and convicted sex offender Debra LaFave can have limited contact with children of her family and friends. ...more

October 27, 2009

Debra Tate, the sister of Roman Polanski's second wife, actress Sharon Tate, says Polanski is brilliant and a "good guy" and she doesn't think her former brother-in-law can get a fair trial in the United States. ...more

September 30, 2009

The public will begin picking up the defense tab for Stephanie Ragusa, a former Hillsborough County middle school teacher accused of having sex with two students. Circuit Judge Wayne S. Timmerman granted a request today by Ragusa's attorney, Robert Herce, to have his client declared indigent. Prosecutors did not object. ...more

September 30, 2009

A third man has been accused of having sex with a 12-year-old girl, according to Clearwater Public Safety officials. ...more

July 16, 2009

It will be until September before a new trial date will be set for Stephanie Ragusa. The former Davidsen Middle School teacher had been set to be tried Aug. 10 on charges of molesting two teenagers from the school. But defense attorney Robert Herce and Assistant State Attorney Rita Peters said today that there is still too much pretrial work remaining to meet that date. ...more

July 8, 2009