Hide Article Text (OCR)
down the runway at the Orlando International Airport when the pilot either felt or heard the bump and decided not to take off, said Todd Clay, a Delta spokesman.He said two of the plane’s tires deflated because of heat after the flight was aborted. He explained that the tires are equipped to do that to keep them from blowing out when heat builds up on excessively long runs along a runway.Flight 2417’s passengers exited the airplane on the runway and were taken by bus back to the gate. There, they were put on other flights, Clay said. None of the 44 passengers were harmed.The plane was taken to a maintenance facility for an examination.“The pilot made a prudent decision and he acted in the exact manner he was supposed to, to find out what had caused this,”Clay said.Trampling lawsuitTAMPA — A judge threw out a mother’s lawsuit claiming Lowry Park Zoo failed to protect her daughter, a handler who was trampled to death by an elephant.The judge said the daughter knew the animal was dangerous.Char-Lee Torre was knocked down by the Asian elephant, Tillie, on July 30, 1993 in a dimly lit barn out of public view. The St. Petersburg woman was trampled, and she died a short time later.Torre’s mother filed a negligence suit, claiming the zoo failed to protect her daughter, who was 24. Wednesday, Circuit Judge Dick Greco Jr. threw out the claim. He ruled that the zoo wasn’t responsible for Torre’s death.“This was a tragic accident,” Lex Salisbury, the zoo’s executive director, said after the hearing. “The zoo really cares deeply about the safety of its employees, and its 630,000 visitors every year.”The zoo no longer has elephants.Contacted at home bv tele-t/phone, Torre’s mother, Cheryl Pejack, declined to comment. So did her attorney, Scott Jeeves.The zoo was cleared by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration two months after Torre’s death. OSHA said the zoo’s safety procedures merited no citation or fine.Torre’s estate has received a standard $100,000 death benefit under worker’s compensation rules, zoo lawyers said.Body searchASHEVILLE, N.C. — An man facing murder charges in North Carolina led divers to an alligator-infested swamp in Florida to search for the body of a missing woman.Divers found nothing after six hours of searching Tuesday for the body of Diana Richardson of St. Augustine, who may have been dumped in the pit, according to William Lindsey.Lindsey, 61, faces charges in Buncombe County, N.C., in connection with the death of 32-/ear-old Lucy Raymer. Raymer, who had a history of prostitution, was found in a ditch the day after Christmas. She died from a alow to the head, according to nvestigators.Investigators believe Lindseyhas “direct knowledge” in the deaths of Richardson, who disappeared in 1995, and 31-year-old Cheiyl Lucas, who was found in a marsh near St. Augustine in 1995.Lindsey has not been charged in any of those cases.Divers planned to return to the pit today.“The information is pretty solid,” said Kevin Kelshaw, spokesman for the St. Johns County Sheriffs Office in St. Augustine. “We feel pretty confident we’re looking in the right location.”Postal problemsEATONVILLE — Local residents have been unable to buy stamps or conduct other postal business following the resignation of the town’s mail clerk, who is being investigated for missing funds.Jennie Robinson-Simpson resigned abruptly Friday amid a federal probe of missing postal funds. Postal authorities discovered $2,200 missing in Eaton-ville’s station during audits inJanuary 1997 and October 1996.Since Ms. Robinson-Simpson’s resignation, Eatonville residents haven’t been able to buy stamps or money orders or carry out other transactions. However, they still receive mail.Authorities were trying to determine whether the shortages resulted from theft or poor record keeping.The missing money may place the town’s contract with the postal service in jeopardy. The town, which had a $25,000 bond to cover postal operations, had to repay the dispute balance.Ms. Robinson-Simpson, who had worked as mail clerk since August, said she resigned because of a combination of the job pressures and the postal investigation.“That job was totally stressingme out,” she said.She added that the investigator was very hostile to her.“Any question I (answered), he gave me the impression he didn’t believe me,” she said.The post office’s suspended operations caught council members as well as residents off guard.“I’ve never heard of a post office being closed unless it was a holiday,” said council member Bruce Mount. “I want to look into it to see what the story is about.”Police gamblingTITUSVILLE — The former head of Cocoa police’s criminal investigations division has been convicted on bookmaking charges.Jurors in the weeklong trial found Capt. Michael Blubaugh guilty of conspiracy and book-making on Wednesday. However, they acquitted his co-defendant, Det. John Casey, of similar charges.“I think the verdict was fair inmy case,” said Casey, 32, outsidethe Brevard County Courthouse. “But it doesn’t feel good to find out that Mr. Blubaugh was convicted.”Blubaugh wouldn’t comment on the verdict.Blubaugh, 39, was one of the most prominent members of a Brevard County gambling ring turned up by undercover state and federal agents last year. He was acquitted of federal book-making charges last year.
Newspaper Details
Panama City News Herald
Panama City, Florida, US
Fri, Apr 04, 1997
Page 16
Full Page
Clipped by
Tttt T.
NA, 06 Feb 2023
Other Publications Near Panama City, Florida
Panama City Pilot
Panama City News Herald Sunday
Panama City News Herald
Panama News Herald
Panama City News
