Hit-and-Run on 34th Street
According to the St. Petersburg Police Department, on March 14 around 10:30 p.m., a 1997 Honda sedan driven by Luis Gonzalez, 32, was traveling south on 34th Street North near 4th Street, in the median lane when it struck a male pedestrian crossing the roadway. Gonzalez failed to stop to render aid and left the scene.
Police officers in the vicinity of the crash were able to maintain a visual of the vehicle and Gonzalez was apprehended by police a short time later.
The pedestrian was transported to Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, where he remains in critical but stable condition.
Gonzalez was arrested and transported to jail for leaving the scene of a crash involving serious injuries. Alcohol is not considered a factor in the crash, but the investigation is ongoing.
A sampling of police reports from March 7 through March 16 in Gulfport and St. Pete Beach.
Source: Gulfport Police Department and Pinellas County Crime Viewer
Gulfport
3/7 – Follow up in the 4100 block of 14th Avenue South. Officers responded to a residence to attempt to make contact with a juvenile. School Resource Officer Zack Mills had developed probable cause for the arrest of the juvenile for simple battery, trespassing on school grounds and battery on a school employee. The juvenile went to Boca Ciega High School with the intention of fighting a girl who attends to the school. She attacked the student and a school employee who attempted to intervene. The juvenile then left the school’s grounds before she could be arrested. Contact was made and the juvenile and she was arrested then taken to the Pinellas Juvenile Assessment Center.
3/7 – Traffic arrest at the intersection of 49th Street South and 10th Avenue South. Officer Dillard stopped a vehicle and discovered that the driver, Ricard Daignault, did not have a valid license. He was arrested and transported to the Pinellas County Jail.
3/8 – Contracting without a license in the 5400 block of Shore Boulevard. A business reported their building on fire. A man was doing maintenance on the building and inadvertently caused the fire. The man admitted that he did not have a contractor’s license. Charges were forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office.
3/8 – Keeping the peace in the 5600 block of Shore Boulevard. Officers responded to a reported disturbance in progress on a vessel out in Boca Ciega Bay. The Marine Unit made contact with two people that were left stranded on the boat by the third party involved in the verbal argument. The two people are from out of state and were provided a courtesy transport to Pinellas Safe Harbor.
3/9 – Theft in the 5000 block of 29th Avenue South. Sergeant Marotta stopped a car for an expired tag. There was a valid expiration decal taped to the tag on the car. The driver admitted he stole the decal from a boat trailer near his residence. The boat trailer owner was located and didn’t want to prosecute for the theft so the driver was released with two citations.
3/9 – Keeping the peace in the 5700 block of 21st Avenue South. A resident wanted his girlfriend to leave his house because they kept arguing with each other. She refused to go home, but once the officers arrived she called an Uber and left the property.
3/10 – Hit and run crash, and driving under the influence at the corner of 52nd Street South and Gulfport Boulevard South. A truck crashed into the rear of a white sedan that was stopped at the intersection. The truck then continued driving to 54th Street South and Gulfport Boulevard South where it hit a stop sign and got stuck. This was witnessed by one of the officers who had responded to the scene. An independent witness stated the same truck struck a mailbox near 31st Avenue South and 50th Street South. Officers detected a strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from the driver so a driving under the influence investigation was conducted. The driver performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. Zachary Horn was arrested for two counts of leaving the scene of a crash and driving under the influence leading to a crash with property damage. The driver of the vehicle he struck was transported to the hospital as a precaution.
3/11 – Burglary to a vehicle in the 5100 block of 15th Avenue South. A resident called to report that he saw a young male in his neighbor’s vehicle. When the resident went outside, the suspect fled on a bicycle north on York Street South. Nothing was missing from the vehicle.
3/11 – Theft in the 5000 block of Gulfport Boulevard South. An officer was flagged down by a taxi driver regarding a female fare who had no cash to pay and her credit card was being declined. The female attempted to call her father to pay but he refused. Stephanie Pizzini was arrested for petit theft.
3/12 – Arrest on warrant at the intersection of 49th Street South and Gulfport Boulevard South. Officer Clague stopped a man operating a bicycle without lights. The bicyclist, identified as George Violette, had an outstanding warrant out of Georgia for possession of narcotics with intent to sell. The warrant was confirmed. Violette was arrested and transported to the Pinellas County Jail.
3/12 – Disorderly conduct in the 5400 block of Shore Boulevard. Officers were dispatched to a complaint regarding a man who was acting aggressive towards himself and others around him. The man was under the influence of unknown substances. George Innes was arrested and charged with disorderly intoxication. He was transported to the Pinellas County Jail.
3/13 – Fleeing and eluding at the intersection of 11th Avenue South and 49th Street South. Officer Clague attempted to stop a car and the driver fled. He was able to get the tag information and located the car at the registered owner’s address. The owner was not cooperative and there was a strong odor of marijuana in the car. The car was then towed for evidence and a felony amount of marijuana was found during an inventory search.
3/13 – Vehicle crash in the 1700 block of 54th Street South. Officers responded to a single vehicle crash where a male ran into a mailbox with his scooter. The male was taken to Bayfront Hospital as a trauma alert with life threatening injuries. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Major Accident Investigation Team handled the crash investigation. As of March 14, the man was upgraded to stable condition.
Battery
3/12, 9:05 p.m., 1400 block of Freemont Street S
3/14, 9 p.m., 2100 block of 56th Street S
Burglary – business
3/12, 2 p.m., 5100 block of Gulfport Boulevard S
3/15, 8:40 p.m., 4600 block of 29th Avenue S
Burglary – residence
3/13, 6:30 p.m., 2700 block of Miriam Street S
Burglary – vehicle
3/10, 7:20 a.m., 5100 block of 15th Avenue S
3/16, 1:30 a.m., 2600 block of Upton Street S
Robbery – unarmed
3/13, 10 p.m., 5500 block of 18th Avenue S
Theft – grand
3/14, 11 p.m., 2300 block of 53rd Street S
Theft – petit
3/10, 11:49 p.m., 5000 block of Gulfport Boulevard S
3/13, 7 p.m., 2700 block of Beach Boulevard S
Theft –vehicle
3/14, 8:08 a.m., 5700 block of 19th Avenue S
St. Pete Beach
Battery
3/16, 3:58 a.m., 6200 block of Gulf Boulevard
Theft – grand
3/8, 3:45 p.m., 6800 block of Beach Plaza
3/11, 5 p.m., 5300 block of Gulf Boulevard
3/12, 8 p.m., 6300 block of Gulf Boulevard
Theft – petit
3/12, 8:30 a.m., 75th Avenue and Gulf Boulevard
3/13, 9:54 a.m., 8000 block of Blind Pass Road
Theft – vehicle
3/10, 9:30 p.m., 5300 block of Gulf Boulevard
Trespassing
3/15, 10:06 p.m., 6100 block of Gulf Boulevard
Vandalism – criminal mischief
3/9, 9 a.m., 300 block of Corey Avenue
3/11, 2:53 p.m., 72nd Avenue and Gulf Boulevard
3/13, noon, 6300 block of Gulf Winds Drive
