| On September 11, 1998, Amanda Brown disappeared from her home at the hands of a child predator. Although her abductor has been brought to justice, her body was never found. The Amanda Brown Foundation was formed to educate others about the dangers of child abductions and to provide families with resources, information and comfort during a crisis. |
August 18, 2008
Coralrose suspect 'a typical burglar'
By John Davis
Published: Sunday, August 17, 2008 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, August 17, 2008 at 11:30 p.m.
It was Jan. 16, 2007, almost four months to the day that 6-year-old Coralrose Fullwood's body was found in a vacant lot near her North Port home. North Port Police detectives Carrie Olivo and Chris Morales sat across from Patrick Murphy in the Charlotte County jail.
Patrick Murphy did not stand out when the North Port police processed him on a burglary charge.
Finding Coralrose's killer was a top priority for North Port police, but other cases had to be worked as well, even small-time burglaries like this one. A stolen ATV had been found in the yard of Murphy's North Port home. Olivo and Morales were building the case against him.
The pair had no way of knowing that they sat within arm's reach of the man who would later be charged with Coralrose's kidnapping, rape and murder.
Murphy, 27, passed through Southwest Florida's legal system for years without drawing much scrutiny. He was inconspicuous because hundreds of others in the system appeared to be just like him: blue-collar guys who had let drugs get the best of them.
Those who crossed Murphy's path in recent years say they never suspected that he could be capable of the crimes he is now accused of committing.
He did not seem especially evil or stick out in any way.
Even when Murphy came up as the case's prime suspect in law enforcement circles last month, Morales did not remember him.
"He was just a typical burglar," Morales said. "No different than any of the other burglars we've been interviewing up to this date. Nothing stuck out."
At the time of Coralrose's death, Murphy was on probation in Charlotte County for marijuana possession, a misdemeanor. Records show that he met with his probation officer on Sept. 5, 12 days before Coralrose was abducted and killed. Murphy met with his probation officer again on Oct. 5.
During that time, multiple agencies were working to find Coralrose's killer. Hundreds of voluntary DNA samples would be taken from residents during the investigation, but Murphy's house, about two miles away from the crime scene, was outside of the police canvass area. He continued his career in petty crime, unconnected to the escalating search for Coralrose's killer.
Records show that Murphy's probation was routine, his violations common: He skipped meetings with the probation officer and his court-ordered drug test came back positive for methamphetamine.
In Charlotte County, a meth addict arrested for stealing is common, not enough of a crime to raise eyebrows. So in June of last year, when Punta Gorda police interrogated Murphy about other burglaries, his situation was unremarkable.
The Coralrose case was nine months old when Punta Gorda detectives Thomas Lewis and Harvey Ayers met with Murphy at the Charlotte County jail.
Murphy admitted to stealing tools and generators to trade for drugs, but nothing more serious, nothing that would set off any alarms.
He asked for drug counseling.
"I'm very sorry," Murphy told the detectives. "That drug takes over your body and you really have no control over what you're doing. You do but you don't."
Even Lewis, now a captain in the department, did not remember questioning Murphy, though he sat with him for more than two hours. Lewis had to go back through police records to refresh his memory.
"I didn't get like a pedophile vibe from him," Lewis said.
Detectives in Punta Gorda and North Port did not know at the time that they were laying the groundwork for the felony conviction that would prompt the state to collect a DNA sample from Murphy. That sample matched the DNA of a sample taken from Coralrose's body, authorities said, and led to Murphy's arrest on Tuesday. He remains in the Sarasota County jail without bail.
For others who had contact with Murphy in recent years, Tuesday's arrest is an example of how impossible it is to predict what someone might be capable of.
"We were all feeling devastated for the loss," said Jon Embury, who was Murphy's probation officer for part of 2006 and is now a court administrator.
"And just the fact that we had contact with him has devastated us," Embury said.
If Murphy is guilty of raping and killing Coralrose, he held close to that secret even as he admitted to other crimes and let his drug use go unchecked. The secret was not revealed in interrogation rooms or by the law enforcement databases checked by Murphy's probation officer. And Murphy remains silent in jail, even as he faces murder charges and possibly the death penalty -- a far leap from the petty crimes for which he has already been convicted.
"You never know. You just never know what else this person's done," Morales said. "Some other crime he committed elsewhere, and you're just talking to him about a simple burglary. You just don't know. You only go with what you got."
Posted by admin at 7:10 AM | Comments (0)
August 14, 2008
Arrest brings kudos, but also new leads
By John Davis
Published: Thursday, August 14, 2008 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, August 14, 2008 at 12:38 a.m.
NORTH PORT - A year after 6-year-old Coralrose Fullwood's body was found in an empty North Port lot, Police Chief Terry Lewis called a news conference to remind the public that the case had not gone cold and that the person or persons who committed the crime would be caught.
Patrick Murphy is charged in the murder case.
The odds were stacked against Lewis' prediction coming true. Experts say that most murder cases are solved within days or at most weeks of the crime, since that is when the evidence and any potential witness recollections are the freshest.
Many skeptics pointed to Lewis' news conference itself as a sign that the Coralrose case had lost steam.
All of that changed Tuesday with the announcement that Patrick Murphy, 27, a roofer in state prison for burglary, was being charged with Coralrose's rape and murder. Authorities said his DNA was found on her body.
"It was a very, very good day for the community," said Lewis, noting that North Port officers are being congratulated while out on their rounds, and a handful of people have stopped Lewis at the supermarket to slap him on the back.
The chief insists he never doubted that an arrest was forthcoming, though he admits that "there have been ups and downs" over the past 22 months.
Wary at first that the DNA evidence was another false lead or dead end, among hundreds in the case, authorities are now confident enough to publicly accuse Murphy; Lewis is predicting more arrests.
Public accolades aside, there has not been much time to celebrate in North Port. Murphy's arrest and renewed media interest have netted investigators dozens of new leads, and the case is ramping up to levels of manpower and resources not seen in months.
Tuesday's developments will now touch off an intense investigation and complex legal process in which Murphy's life -- and possibly others' -- could ultimately be on the line.
Experts say that investigators and prosecutors are now in a race to see whether they can catch other people thought to be involved in the crime and build a compelling case, starting with Murphy's DNA.
"If this is something where other people were involved, they know from the newspaper accounts that the police think other people were involved," said Larry Byrd, a local criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor. "So if they were to run, they would run by now."
Murphy has declined to speak with investigators, and a judge has sealed the documents outlining the case against him. But authorities have confirmed that there is a DNA match and that investigators have been working leads in the case, including visiting Murphy's Kentucky birthplace.
Prosecutors, according to Byrd, are using the growing investigation to look for evidence that will build on the DNA match.
What they find will help them determine whether to seek the death penalty, and how much cooperation they will need from Murphy to close the case.
"The state is not about to make a deal with anybody unless their back is really to the wall," Byrd said.
Meanwhile, authorities remain tight lipped about whether anyone else was involved or whether DNA from more than one person was found at the murder scene.
Coralrose was reported missing on the morning of Sept. 17, 2006, and her body was found a few hours later in woods near her North Port home.
Experts say the first goal will be to catch everyone involved and build strong cases against them. If that proves difficult, Murphy could offer to help authorities.
"The biggest thing in these sorts of cases a person has to bargain with is their life," said Drake Buckman, a Sarasota attorney who has defended people in capital murder cases.
Buckman said that Murphy's DNA is formidable evidence that could be difficult to build a defense against, depending on other details such as the type of genetic material and where it was found.
"Most people know what DNA is and they trust DNA," Buckman said.
It could be a year or more before Murphy or any potential co-defendants go before a jury, but that has not stopped Lewis from predicting that, just as the Murphy break came this week, others will follow as investigators from the city, state and surrounding counties work to bring closure to the case.
"I would much rather that Coralrose be in second or third grade at Toledo Blade Elementary School," said Lewis on Wednesday. "But that didn't happen."
____
Staff writer Todd Ruger contributed to this report.
Posted by admin at 5:17 AM | Comments (0)
State Focuses On Onstott Tape
By THOMAS W. KRAUSE and RAY REYES
The Tampa Tribune
Published: August 14, 2008
Updated: 12:22 am
TAMPA - More than three years after her daughter's body was found submerged in a pond near her Ruskin home, Kelly May was again in the same room with David Lee Onstott, the man accused of killing 13-year-old Sarah Michelle Lunde.
"It's tough. It's very tough," May said after attending the first day of Onstott's trial Wednesday. "Sarah is dead. There is nothing we can do about that." But a conviction, she said, would prevent another child from suffering the same fate.
In opening statements, prosecutors for the first time divulged details of a conversation between Onstott and a jail deputy. The deputy will testify that Onstott acknowledged having an argument with Sarah about May the night she disappeared, Assistant State Attorney Sean Keefe said.
Onstott, who once was May's occasional boyfriend, described to the deputy how he killed Sarah, Keefe said.
The defense said the deputy didn't tell anyone, including detectives and supervisors, about Onstott's supposed confession for 11 months.
The log entry the deputy made that night made no mention of a conversation with Onstott, said Assistant Public Defender John Skye. The deputy said he made notes about the exchange, Skye said, but later lost the notebook.
Keefe told jurors that when Onstott was in custody a week after Sarah's body was found, he was emotional and was allowed to speak to his mother, who had flown down from Michigan.
"You will hear the defendant begging his mother to let him go," Keefe said of the recorded conversations. "He tells her this is not her fault. He says that sometimes there is a volcano inside of him" and that he is never going to see the outside of prison again.
She asks why, and Onstott leans toward her and says something difficult to understand, prosecutors said.
Keefe told jurors they will hear him say, "Because I killed her."
Skye told the jury Onstott said no such thing to his mother. Onstott's words on the tape are so quiet, he said, they can only be described as a "muffle."
Skye began laying the groundwork for casting reasonable doubt of Onstott's guilt and told jurors to pay close attention to the testimony of Sarah's brother, Andrew, and his friend Darryl Daust. The teens' story changed over the years in interviews with detectives and in sworn statements to prosecutors, Skye said.
The teens spoke briefly with Sarah when she returned from a church trip on April 9, 2005, a Saturday.
Andrew and Darryl then went out to get food. When the teens returned, Sarah was gone.
Under cross examination by a public defender, May said that Sarah had a history of running away or sneaking out the house. That is why she was not initially alarmed when Sarah was not home, May said.
When Sarah did not show up at school on Monday, May reported her daughter missing. Sarah's body was found face down and weighted by concrete blocks in a muddy pond.
Andrew lied to his mother and police about how long he and Darryl had been out, Skye said. Darryl also lied and did not immediately tell police that he had sex on two occasions with Sarah, Skye said. Darryl's DNA was later found in her bed.
Prosecutors argue that Onstott went to May's home shortly after the teens left to get food. When Onstott was seen the next day, his jeans were wet from mid-shin to his shoes and he left muddy footprints in the house, Andrew said on the witness stand.
Court records show that investigators had no physical evidence tying Onstott to the crime. Neither Onstott's truck nor his girlfriend's truck showed any connection to Sarah or where she was found, Skye said.
Onstott, 40, is charged with murder in Sarah's slaying and faces life in prison if convicted. However, prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty.
The trial resumes at 8:30 a.m. today.
Reporter Thomas W. Krause can be reached at (813) 259-7698 or tkrause@tamaptrib.com. Reporter Ray Reyes can be reached at (813) 259-7920 or rreyes@tampatrib.com.
Posted by admin at 5:06 AM | Comments (0)
August 13, 2008
Arrest revitalizes Coralrose case
NORTH PORT - Nearly two years after 6-year-old Coralrose Fullwood disappeared from her bed in the middle of the night, detectives have charged a state prison inmate with her murder.
North Port Police Chief Terry Lewis announces Tuesday that a suspect has been arrested in the rape and killing of Coralrose Fullwood.
Patrick Dewane Murphy, 27, who lived two miles away from Coralrose's North Port home when she was killed in September 2006, was also charged Tuesday with her kidnapping and rape.
Murphy had been in Avon Park state prison since February after being convicted of grand theft and burglary. While he was in prison, authorities took his DNA sample and police say they learned about two weeks ago that it matched that of DNA found on Coralrose's body.
Detectives said they still believe there are other people who were involved in the crime.
And they have not dispelled suspicion of Coralrose's father, Dale Fullwood, who is in prison on a probation violation charge related to child pornography found on his computer during the investigation.
Murphy has declined to speak with detectives, said North Port Police Chief Terry Lewis, who added that Tuesday's publicity led to a handful of tips about him that warrant "immediate follow-up."
Lewis also said officers have found no connection between Murphy and Coralrose or her family, but detectives do not think the crime was random.
"We're still looking very aggressively at a connection between Murphy and someone else," Lewis said.
Coralrose's mother, Ellen-Beth Fullwood, said the arrest came as a relief.
"I'm grateful that we've gotten to this point, finally," she told reporters at a press conference Tuesday.
Lewis gave scant details Tuesday, and a judge has sealed the affidavit in which officers outline the evidence they have against Murphy.
Since Murphy was connected to Coralrose's body by a state-operated DNA database on July 26, detectives have redoubled their efforts in the case, Lewis said.
"Investigators want to learn a lot more about what Mr. Murphy was doing in September 2006."
On Sept. 16, Dale Fullwood worked a late shift as bartender at a North Fort Myers bar. He said he saw her at 2 a.m. when he arrived home from work.
Sleeping in the three-bedroom house that night were Dale Fullwood, Coralrose's mother Ellen-Beth, and five children. Other rooms in the house had been converted into bedrooms, so each child could have his or her own room.
Family members noticed Coralrose was missing about 7 a.m., when they awoke to celebrate the birthday of her sister, September Fullwood.
She was found by a neighbor about noon, wrapped in a comforter at a vacant lot a few blocks from the Fullwoods' North Port home.
The DNA link between Murphy and Coralrose was made in late July by analysts in a lab operated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Like all felons in Florida, Murphy had a DNA sample taken after his conviction.
Though he lived near the Fullwoods, Murphy was not one of the hundreds of people who submitted to DNA testing by police so they could be eliminated as suspects in the girl's death, police said.
Before Murphy's arrest Tuesday morning, investigators spent about two weeks gathering information about Murphy and his whereabouts at the time of the murder.
"There really was no need to rush it," said E.J. Picolo, FDLE special agent in charge. "We knew where he was."
Murphy was then transferred to the Hardee Correctional Institution, where he met with investigators on Friday.
Murphy refused to speak with investigators about the Coralrose case and was transferred to the Sarasota County Jail on Monday night.
In his order to seal the documents, Circuit Judge Robert Bennett wrote that releasing the record would jeopardize the ongoing investigation.
Investigators from North Port, FDLE, Sarasota and Charlotte counties will continue to work the case, and have ramped up the investigation based on the DNA evidence and Murphy's arrest, Lewis said.
Investigators credited the state policy of gathering DNA information on all felons as key in breaking this and other cases.
"It just multiplies the potential for you to be able to solve any crime," said Picolo, who added that the number of cases being cleared by DNA "is literally exploding before our eyes."
Dennis Nales, the 12th Judicial Circuit chief assistant state attorney, said it was too early for prosecutors to decide whether they would pursue the death penalty.
"We haven't even seen the reports, we have to review the case and review his criminal history before we make that decision," Nales said.
Dale Fullwood is in the Jackson Correctional Institution. He served a year in jail after pleading no contest last year to possessing child pornography, a felony. The pornography was found on Dale Fullwood's computer.
Police Chief Lewis has said that the images on Fullwood's computer were not related to the murder investigation.
Ellen-Beth Fullwood and Dale Fullwood separated soon after Coralrose's death.
The day after his release from jail in February, Dale Fullwood went to a relative's house to pick up some of his possessions.
While there, he reportedly touched his grand-niece on the hand, which a judge found to be a violation of his sex offender probation.
He was sentenced to three years in prison.
Staff writers Anthony Cormier, Todd Ruger and Kate Spinner contributed to this report.
Posted by admin at 11:29 AM | Comments (2)
CORALROSE FULLWOOD'S MURDER SUSPECT IDENTIFIED
SARASOTA COUNTY - Patrick Murphy's felony burglary conviction meant court bailiffs swabbed the inside of his mouth immediately after his sentencing to get a DNA sample.
Seven months later, that sample was matched to DNA recovered from Coralrose Fullwood's body, leading to a flurry of activity in an investigation that had gone on for two years without any arrests.
The case authorities are making against Murphy illustrates the effect of a change in state law that requires every felon to give a DNA sample.
It takes longer for the state's DNA workers to process the evidence, but that database of 532,851 offenders has generated nearly 9,000 leads in open investigations.
Links between DNA from crime scenes and known offenders had led to two Sarasota County murder arrests before Murphy was charged with the murder of Coralrose Fullwood on Tuesday.
Murphy went to prison for burglary in February. His cheek swab went to a state lab in Tallahassee in March.
His sample was one of 10,802 processed in July. And the next day, July 26, a software program identified him as a slaying suspect and automatically sent a message to investigators in North Port.
It was one of 322 matches statewide that month.
The state has been collecting DNA samples since 1990, gradually expanding the requirement to more offenders.
At the end of July, there were 13,000 samples that had been waiting to be processed for more than 30 days.
About 10,000 to 12,000 new samples arrive every month for the 20 workers in the DNA database division to process.
There is a priority list for processing the samples, with registered sex offenders on the top of the list.
"Someone who is incarcerated might not be as high up as someone on the streets," said Florida Department of Law Enforcement spokeswoman Kristen Perezluha.
A database match is not enough to use in court. But it allows investigators to get a search warrant to collect a new sample, which can be analyzed for use at trial.
Posted by admin at 9:16 AM | Comments (0)
August 10, 2008
THE WHEELS OF INJUSTICE
Just how long does Roy Brown and his family have to put up with this bureaucratic nonsense? Amanda was kidnapped and killed by Willie Seth Crain on September 11, 1998. Roy has been without his daughter since that day which equates to ten (10) years in just a few weeks. Meanwhile the scum of the earth sits in a climate controlled cell; receives three (3) meals a day and health care. Roy has worked and is unable to afford health care for himself and has grieved the loss of his daughter twenty-four hours a day for nearly ten years.
There was a evidence hearing scheduled for September 22, 2008 in Tampa for WC which stirred all the emotions of Roy, one more time. Reliving all the bad memories of Amanda's loss. Now information is received that the hearing has been postponed until later in the year.
This is one more example of the rights of a murderer vs the rights of Amanda and her family. He should have been put to death years ago. There should be legislation enacted that requires ALL appeals occurring within the first two years after sentencing.
Posted by admin at 1:53 PM | Comments (1)
August 8, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAYLEE!
Caylee Marie Anthony is 3 years old today, August 9, 2008.
Today is your special day,
A day designed just for you.
A day with your family,
And a special friend or two.
A day filled with love and smiles,
Hugs and a whole bunch of kisses,
Birthday gifts and a big birthday cake,
A little elf to grant all your wishes.
Put on your prettiest dress,
Pucker your lips for that pucker power,
Blow out all three of those birthday candles,
Cuz Caylee, this is your special hour.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FROM ALL OF US AT THE AMANDA BROWN FOUNDATION!
Dear Caylee,
You don't know me and probably never will but I know you. You are a sweet innocent child of God. You are pure of heart and trust all those around you. I know that your heart aches for your mother and grandparents. You don't know what is going on and I am sure you are confused as to why. I promise you that I will continue my search for you as I look for Amanda. Until you both are brought home, I will not sleep soundly. You need to think of cuddly toy bears, jellybeans and all those things that make you happy. Never give up and never fear. You are loved by so many that don't know you and we pray for your safety every day and night.
God bless you sweet baby,
A Friend
Posted by admin at 8:02 PM | Comments (1)
Casey Anthony's story loses credibility with investigators' every turn
Three weeks into the search for Caylee Marie Anthony, Orange County sheriff's investigators say they are still untangling the deceptions spun by her 22-year-old mother.
Detectives released new details about the case Thursday as part of a search warrant executed at Casey Anthony's home earlier this week. The report recounts the latest dead ends encountered by investigators pursuing Anthony's story that the girl vanished last month with a baby sitter.
Among the highlights:
*Casey Anthony told investigators she received a brief call from 2-year-old Caylee about noon July 15, the day the child was reported missing. Investigators subpoenaed Anthony's cell-phone records and found no such call. The two closest incoming calls came from her boyfriend at 12:13 a.m., and from someone named Kyle about 3:35 p.m.
*Anthony told investigators that Caylee's baby sitter, Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez, lived with a woman who worked as a hostess at a T.G.I. Friday's. Investigators spoke with a T.G.I. Friday's corporate representative who told them they had no employee by the name Anthony gave.
*Anthony said she told two people about Caylee's disappearance, both of whom supposedly worked with her at Kodak for Universal Studios. Detectives learned Kodak had no employment records for either person.
*Detectives obtained some of Anthony's e-mails and found one that appeared to be from a worker at Universal Studios, where Anthony said she worked as an event planner. The supposed sender of the e-mail, about an upcoming Universal event, does not work for the company and the e-mail domain of the sender's address was invalid.
Anthony remained behind bars Thursday at the Orange County Jail, two days after prosecutors filed formal charges against her for child neglect and filing a false statement.
Caylee was reported missing July 15, a month after she supposedly disappeared. Anthony said she hadn't seen her daughter in "31 days," since leaving the youngster with Fernandez-Gonzalez on June 9. When she went to pick up the girl, she said, both of them were gone.
However, a detective has determined that Caylee and her grandmother, Cindy Anthony, visited a relative together six days later, the sheriff's report stated.
Detectives are testing hair and a mysterious stain found in the trunk of a family Pontiac that Anthony was using in June. A cadaver dog alerted on the trunk, indicating the presence of human-decomposition odor, but family members maintain the smell came from old pizza.
Clothing taken in search
On Wednesday, detectives executed a search warrant at Anthony's Lee Vista-area home and left with nearly a dozen articles of clothing from Anthony's closet, including pants, skirts and shirts, according to the document released Thursday.
Another detail disclosed in the report was that Cindy Anthony told investigators this week that she found a pair of slacks and two pairs of shoes in the Pontiac before she reported Caylee missing. The grandmother "removed the pants and washed them due to the fact that they smelled like the car," the report said.
Previously, technicians visited the home to collect toothbrushes, a hairbrush, a comb and an oral thermometer Caylee once used. That same day, authorities also collected court-ordered DNA samples from Anthony in jail.
Investigators went to the family home on Hopespring Drive again Thursday because Cindy Anthony wanted to give them another piece of evidence. After about an hour, authorities left with a large brown evidence bag.
Sheriff's officials would not comment on any of the evidence listed in the affidavit or removed from the house Thursday.
Continue reading "Casey Anthony's story loses credibility with investigators' every turn"
Posted by admin at 9:24 AM | Comments (0)
August 6, 2008
Grandfather: Casey Anthony stole gas before reporting toddler missing
The grandfather of missing Caylee Marie Anthony admits that his daughter, Casey Anthony, stole a couple of gasoline cans from a shed at their home before she reported the toddler's disappearance.
During a televised interview Tuesday with Greta Van Susteren of Fox News Channel, George Anthony said he discovered the gas cans inside the trunk of Casey's car on the same day he had reported them stolen.
"As she opened up the trunk of the car, guess what? The gas cans were there," George Anthony said. "[Casey' s] the one that took the gas cans."
Investigators later recovered those gas cans from the Anthony's Hopespring Drive home on Aug.
George Anthony had called the Orange County Sheriff's Office on June 24 to report the missing gas cans. The sheriff's report shows that the $50 gas cans were locked inside a shed at their home. Deputies said someone had damaged the door and lock to remove the gas cans.
Later that day, Casey told her father, "It's a shame what happened in the shed," Anthony recalled.
He then asked Casey that he needed a tool that was inside the trunk of her Pontiac Sunfire to rotate the tires on his wife'svehicle, but Casey refused to let him open the trunk. Casey then opened the trunk and her father saw the missing gas cans.
Investigators with the sheriff's office said part of their probe is focused on the trunk of Casey's car. During a bond hearing in July, they described a mysterious stain and hair found in the trunk of her vehicle. They also discovered a foul odor associated with rotting human flesh inside the trunk.
Detectives with the sheriff's office have not said when they expect to receive the forensic results of the evidence found in Casey's car.
Casey Anthony, who has been at the Orange County Jail for nearly three weeks on a $500,200 bond, was formally charged Tuesday on charges of child neglect, a 3rd-degree felony.
Posted by admin at 9:11 AM | Comments (0)
August 4, 2008
Summer Fun Ends With 'Bash' At Tampa Convention Center
By RICH SHOPES
The Tampa Tribune
Published: August 4, 2008
TAMPA - The emphasis was on the "bash" at the All About Kids Back to School Bash, an annual last-hurrah for students getting ready to head back to the classroom.
About 4,000 families packed the Tampa Convention Center on Saturday and Sunday to load up on freebies, including backpacks and bicycle helmets, meet SpongeBob SquarePants and bounce in any of the four inflatable gyms.
"This is really about the kids, so they can have fun one more time," said Kitty Lyons, one of the organizers of the 13th annual event. Admission was $9 for adults and free to children 12 and younger.
Dozens of children lined up to shake hands with the bright yellow Nickelodeon character, SpongeBob, and to pose for pictures.
Elsewhere, children and parents roamed the vast hall, stopping by any of 100 vendors, including Publix and Sam's Club. Some children turned their parents and siblings into mummies using rolls of toilet paper, while others sat on a plush leather couch and took turns playing a Wii video game.
Some children rode bikes while being schooled in bicycle safety from Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies.
Kim Sleeper of Temple Terrace said her children, Connor, 6, and Erin, 12, liked getting the helmets and enjoyed meeting a group of University of South Florida cheerleaders, who autographed posters.
"They liked the free T-shirts and the chicken bites and the fruit cups," she said.
Also popular were the dozens of odd paper hats worn by children and parents alike, courtesy of the Early Childhood Council of Hillsborough County, which brings together 40 social service agencies to tackle a range of children's issues.
Volunteers and staff members made the funky hats from large, colorful sheets of paper. They rolled the ends together and attached flowers and feathers.
Kaitlyn Schumman, 4, of Carrollwood said she liked her blue hat with green and yellow flowers, because, "I like it."
"That's about what you can get from a 4-year-old," said her father, Abel Schumman.
Reporter Rich Shopes can be reached at (813) 259-7633 or at rshopes@tampatrib.com.
Posted by admin at 8:36 AM | Comments (0)
