Bait House Arrests
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50 CENTS 112TH YEAR • SATURDAY EDITION JUNE 18, 2011 St. Cloud basketball campers offer their opinions about Dwight Howard. See Sports, page A-7. OOSCEOLASCEOLA NNEWSEWS-G-GAZETTEAZETTE www.aroundosceola.com • www.holaosceola.com County closing in on site for museum By Marvin G. Cortner would be responsible for all County maintenance of the site and Editor building as well as utilities. Using tourist development history started at a new loca- tax funds, Osceola County is According to county proper- tion. The commission still must ty and tax records, the site’s cur- moving forward with buying the approve the World of Denim former World of Denim store at rent owner is Steinfeld Proper- purchase. ties, of Winter Park; the compa- 5210 W. U.S. Highway 192 as The museum currently oper- ny purchased the property in the site for the relocation of the ates out of a space at Osceola 2001 for $1.7 million. The local veterans museum. Square Mall and is relocating one-story building on the site Shelley Maccini, interim mainly because the area there is has 10,260 square feet under director of the Kissimmee Con- inadequate and because the vet- roof and was constructed in vention & Visitors Bureau, erans group wants the museum 1997. The appraised value Tuesday at the county Tourist in a more prominent location in assigned to the property as of Development Council meeting the West U.S. Highway 192 June 15 was $753,100 and the said the negotiated price for the tourist corridor in order to latest property tax bill was for property is $960,000. This attract more visitors. $14,639. amount would be deducted Maccini said the county The veterans group previ- from the $1.8 million in finan- would deed the property to the ously considered relocating to cial support committed to Veter- museum organization with a the building now occupied by News-Gazette Photo/Andrew Sullivan ans Tribute and Museum of reverter clause, specifying that the visitors bureau at Osceola Negotiations with the owners of the World of Denim at 5210 W. U.S. Highway 192 have Osceola County Inc. last sum- the site would have to be Heritage Park off Bill Beck produced a sale price of $960,000. Osceola County would buy the site to house a relo- mer by the County Commission returned to the county if it were Boulevard but dropped that cated military history museum run by Veterans Tribute & Museum of Osceola County over three years to help the no longer used as a museum. In Inc. The county, after the sale goes through, would deed the site to the veterans group. group get its museum of military addition, the veterans group See Tourism, page A-5 Kissimmee Police news Red light Bait house arrests Suspect cameras arrested in still on Poinciana track shooting Osceola County Sheriff’s Office detectives Tuesday By Brian McBride arrested Antonio Groover, 18, Associate Editor of Lake Wales, and charged The city of Kissimmee is set him with attempted murder. to enter negotiations with a The investigation began vendor to supply red light run- May 21 at about 1:45 a.m., ning cameras at some of the when Osceola County Sheriff’s most offending intersections. Office deputies responded to Through a request for pro- the area of Cypress Parkway posal process, the city chose and Doverplum Arizona-based Redflex Traffic Avenue in Systems. The City Commis- Poinciana. sion at a recent meeting Upon arrival, authorized city staff to negoti- deputies spoke ate a contract for a red light with three indi- camera system. viduals, who The contract will be pre- said they had sented to the commission just left a party when a deal is forged, City and were trav- Groover Manager Mike Steigerwald eling in a 2005 silver Chevro- said. let Impala near Amiens Road “My hope is to get it on the and Orly Drive, when an first meeting of July, but we’re unknown suspect fired shots not going to rush it,” he said, into their vehicle. A bullet adding that the contract has to went through the back win- meet the terms the city wants. dow and hit one of the pas- The deal could call for 10 News-Gazette Photo/Andrew Sullivan sengers in the head. He was cameras at some of the more Kissimmee Police Department Detectives Jeff Patanjo, left, and Robert Stuart operate from the master bed- conscious and was transported troublesome intersections. room of a rented home in a subdivision along Poinciana Boulevard, luring potential drug dealers, prostitutes to a nearby hospital with non- Those areas will be identified and unlicensed or unscrupulous contractors as part of a week-long sting operation. life-threatening injuries. by the Osceola County Com- Based on information pro- munity Traffic Safety Team, a vided by the victim and other group of highway safety KPD has prostitution, handyman sting witnesses, detectives identified advocates committed to solv- Groover as a suspect. Groover ing traffic safety problems By Fallan Patterson Kissimmee; Ashley Morgan, with it drug-related crimes was at the party earlier in the through a comprehensive, 23, of Celebration; and (including) robbery and bur- evening and witnesses Staff Writer multi-jurisdictional, multi-dis- Claire Fray, 36, of Kissim- glary. By conducting opera- observed him near Amiens ciplinary approach. Members A child and adolescent psychiatrist who practices in mee, were the only Osceola tions like this one, we are Road and Orly Drive when the include local city, county, County residents arrested; taking steps on curtailing victim was shot. state and occasionally federal Kissimmee but lives in all others charged live in these types of crimes within Detectives on Tuesday agencies, as well as private Orlando was one of 16 peo- neighboring counties. Kissimmee,” Police Chief searched Groover’s residence industry representatives and ple busted for assignation of prostitution and entering a Detectives from KPD’s Fran Iwanski said. at 224 Dr. JA Wiltshire Ave. in local residents. The group will dwelling for prostitution last Criminal Investigation Divi- Additionally, detectives likely look at data such as Makkena Morgan Lake Wales and obtained evi- week in an Internet sting sion spent part of last week last week attempted to fatality rates and citation his- dence to support the case. conducted by the Kissimmee targeting prostitution adver- expose unlicensed contrac- tory, Steigerwald said. Groover was taken into custody Police Department using a tisements from Internet sites tors who use Internet-based and cooperated with detectives. The city manager said bait house. such as backpage.com and advertisements to defraud depending on how quickly a Based on his statements and Dr. Ramarao Makkena, craigslist.com. During the using the same bait house the evidence, Groover was deal is worked out, the cam- 43, who has an office on course of the week, detec- but at a different time. The eras could be up by the end of charged with attempted mur- Vine Street near the Osceo- tives replied to ads on the bait house, which was rent- der. He was booked into the summer when the school year ed with forfeiture funds by la Square Mall, was one of websites and also posted a Osceola County Jail with no starts. those arrested June 10. decoy ad on the websites. At press time Friday, city bond. Anthony Basden, 21, of “Prostitution can bring See Sting, page A-5 Fray Basden See Cameras, page A-3 See Police news, page A-2 Inside Community Lifestyles Business Classifieds........... D-1 For the latest Peter Covino For this Business.............. B-1 Community ......... C-4 activities, reviews “The Tree month’s Jour- Legals.................. D-4 classes and of Life,” a cerebral nal of Osceo- Lifestyles ............. C-1 events, see ... drama with Brad la County News Briefs......... A-3 Business, see Opinion................ A-4 Pitt and Sean Penn. Sports................... A-7 Page C-4 Page C-1 Page B-1 Page A2, NEWS-GAZETTE • Online All The Time • www.aroundosceola.com • Saturday, June 18, 2011 Police news Continued from page A-1 After further investigation, The investigation began Second driver sought Circle and hit a green 2003 demanding ransom money from detectives confirmed the four June 11 at approximately in fatal crash Toyota Tacoma head-on with the resident and threatens to fur- suspects were involved in the 2:30 a.m. when deputies Florida Highway Patrol traf- Mayra Santiago, 49, and Este- ther harm the family member if car burglary reported at Best responded to a construction fic homicide investigators are ban Rivera-Fuentes, 24, both the demands are not met. Buy. In addition, one of the company, Albritton Williams, looking for a white, male driv- of Kissimmee, inside. These calls have now escalat- laptop computers was linked at 599 Celebration Place in er of a small red passenger Both Santiago, the driver, ed, requiring the victim to come to a business burglary. Celebration. Upon arrival, vehicle, possibly a Honda with and Rivera-Fuentes were trans- to a location to deliver the ran- All four suspects were deputies heard noises coming a loud muffler, that was east- ferred to Osceola Regional som, KPD spokeswoman Stacie Miller stated in a press release. Hurtado Reyes arrested and booked into the from the fenced yard and bound on Osceola Parkway at Medical Center with minor Osceola County Jail. In addi- observed four suspects break- the time of Monday night’s injuries. Detectives are warning resi- dents about this scam and that tion to the burglary charge, ing into cars. The suspects crash in Buenaventura Lakes Kidnapping scam the suspects are targeting His- Reyes was charged with pos- were taking items from the that claimed the lives of a panic individuals.