Recent accidents in Manatee highlight need for bike safety

Two major bicycling related accidents in Manatee County in recent days, including one that killed a 66-year-old woman, should remind both motorists and bicyclists that they are not alone on area roadways.

The web is chock full of sites with tips and other information about how bicyclists can be safer on the road.

The information is always relevant, as in 2009 -- the most recent year for which statistics are available -- 630 bicyclists died on U.S. roadways, and 51,000 were injured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

For example, Yield to Life, started by professional cyclist David Zabriskie, lists 10 safety tips for bicyclists, from riding with the flow of traffic to the farthest right possible to always wearing a helmet. Another site, BicycleSafety.com, even includes drawings depicting some of the most common bicycle-vehicle accidents and tips on how to avoid them.

As for tips for motorists trying to make their way safely passed bicyclists, Yield to Life has tips for them, too:

1. Different but Equal

In all states, cyclists are deemed by law to be drivers of vehicles and are entitled to the same rights on the road as motorists. Expect cyclists on the road. Watch for cyclists on the road. Treat them as you would any slow-moving vehicle.

2. Patience, not Patients

Patience, especially on the road, is a virtue, and can save lives.
Your patience may involve:

• Waiting until it is safe to pass a bicycle and refraining from tailgating.
• Giving cyclists the right of way when the situation calls for it.
• Allowing extra time for cyclists to go through intersections.
• Recognizing road hazards that may be dangerous for cyclists and giving cyclists the necessary space to deal with them. In conditions where there is not enough room for a cyclist to ride to the right, they are allowed to ride closer to the lane of traffic, and sometimes even in the lane of traffic.

Never engage in conduct that harasses or endangers a cyclist. Above all: Be tolerant. Be understanding. Be careful.

3. A Passing Grade

Do not pass a cyclist until you can see that you can safely do so. You should allow ample space between your vehicle and the bicycle and make sure you do not place the cyclist in danger. If you pass too closely the drag from your car can pull a cyclist off course and cause the rider to swerve out of control.

4. The Right Behavior

Watch out for cyclists when you are turning right. A bicyclist may well be to the right of you and planning to go straight at the same intersection. Do not speed ahead of the bicyclist thinking you can negotiate the turn before they reach your car. The cyclist may be going faster than you think and, as you slow to make the turn, the cyclist may not be able to avoid crashing into the passenger side of your vehicle.

5. To The Left, to The Left

Also look for cyclists when making a left-hand turn. Cyclists who are crossing straight through the same intersection in the opposite direction may be going faster than you realize. It is particularly dangerous on a descending slope, when cyclists pick up more speed.

6. A Back-up Plan:

Bicycles, and the people who drive them, come in all shapes and sizes. When backing out of your driveway always look to see if someone is riding in your path. Children on small bikes might be hard to see. Drive slowly and look carefully.

7. Egress Etiquette

After parallel parking, make sure the coast is clear for opening the car door to exit. Make sure there are no cyclists riding alongside your car or fast approaching. By using the rear view mirrors and by turning around, a driver can spot an approaching cyclist and circumvent a disaster. A cyclist cannot anticipate when a driver will open a door, but a driver can easily detect a cyclist who may be in the line of danger.

8. Respect

Cyclists have a rightful spot on the road. Cyclists also positively impact the environment with each revolution of their wheels by opting to ride rather than drive. Do not resent cyclists. Replace frustration with a smile every time to see a cyclist.

9. Honing Your Horning Habit

Do not to honk unnecessarily at cyclists. If the need does arise to honk your horn to alert a cyclist that you are about pass, do so at a respectable distance. If you are too close, the noise itself can cause a cyclist to lose his or her bearings and create a hazardous situation for both you and the cyclist.

10. Try it, You’ll Like it

If you can’t beat them, join them. Ride a bike. It may just change your life. Riding is good for you and good for your environment. At the very least, it will give you a better appreciation for the problems cyclists face everyday on the road with respect to motorists.

Manatee sheriff seeking 6 'absconded' sex offenders

As of this morning, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office was seeking six "absconded" sexual offenders. "Absconded" means they are "no longer residing at the last reported address given to the Florida Sexual Offender Registry," according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

The sheriff's office this morning sent out a news release reminding the public it was still looking for:

• Daniel R. Danton, 46, who was convicted in Hillsborough County in 2003 for sexual battery and lewd and lascivious on a child.
• Lorenzo Gonzales, 60,  who was convicted in Manatee County in 1995 for lewd and lascivious on a child.
• Emetrio Lopez-Valle, 29, who was convicted in Manatee County in 2003 for lewd and lascivious exhibition with a child.
• James Alan Przeklas, 41, who was convicted in Manatee County in 2008 for lewd and lascivious exhibition with a child.
• Agustin Rubio, 36, who was convicted in Manatee County in 2000 for lewd and lascivious with a child.
• Dylan Migal Shea, 21, who was convicted in Manatee County in 2010 on two counts of lewd and lascivious with a child.

Dainton and Przeklas are classified as sexual predators.

For more information on these fugitives, including their photos and physical descriptions, click on their names above or search here.

Sheriff's office to be HQ for drug drop off

MANATEE -  Starting Jan. 3 Manatee residents can dispose of any unused prescription medication at the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, 600 301 Blvd. W, according to a media release.
The drop off is a part of the Citizen Medication Collection Program, which allows people to bring medication to the front desk of the sheriff’s office 24 hours a day.
“We don’t have an end date, people can come in day or night,” said Dave Bristow, spokesman for the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office has held several prescription drug drop-off events throughout the year, and according to Bristow officials are hoping that an around-the-clock drop-off location will encourage more people to safely dispose of their medications.
“The prescription drug problem is getting out of hand and people are doing whatever they can to get it,” Bristow said.
Bristow stressed that “any excess prescription medication you may have for whatever reason or any outdated medication you need to get rid of,” should be dropped off so it doesn’t get to anyone who would abuse it.
 No liquid medications will be accepted as a part of this program, and the sheriff’s office does ask that medication be placed in a clear plastic bag.
Bags will be available at the sheriff’s office.
Anyone with questions about the program can call the sheriff’s office at (941)747-3011 ext. 2278.
- Paradise Afshar 

Gang census shows Manatee has 516 members

MANATEE - The Attorney General's Office has released a new census documenting 56,200 gang members, associates and other suspects statewide.

Of those, 516 are members residing in Manatee County in 2010, according to Manatee County Sheriff's Office. There are 45 associates and an estimated 150 suspected gang members who are not documented, said sheriff's office Gang Unit Sgt. Gary Combee.

Manatee County has a total of 21 documented gangs including several motorcycle gangs and Aryan Brotherhood.

There have been three gangs that have undergone RICO prosecution: Brown Pride Locos, Third Shift and SUR-13.

Statewide, there was a 1.7 percent decrease in the number of gang members - 30,796, but all other figures increased including the number of gangs documents and the number of law enforcement agencies reporting figures.

In Sarasota County, there were 400 documented gang members and 95 associates from a total of five gangs.

Read the full story in Thursday's Bradenton Herald.

- Beth Burger

Local law enforcement agencies are tweeting

Add your friends. Follow people who share your interests.

And now, you can follow the Bradenton Police Department on Twitter @BradentonPolice.

Recently, the department started tweeting updates to followers as a new way to communicate with the community about department news and local crime cases.

Manatee County Sheriff's Office also has a Twitter account -- @ManateeSheriff -- with 315 followers to date. The agency began tweeting in July 2009.

Off-duty Bradenton officers to Christmas shop with children

BRADENTON  - Bradenton Police Department officers will shop with approximately 100 children this week as part of a partnership with Kingdom Life Christian Church.

The event, Honoring the Badge, allows children from underprivileged working families to shop with officers for Christmas.

Off-duty officers in uniform will begin shopping with children using $25 gift cards at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Toys R' Us, 512 Cortez Road.

The children are selected by community leaders and the gift cards are funded through donations.

DNA a factor in several recent criminal cases in Manatee

Crime-fighting science continues to play a major role in major cases with ties to Manatee County.

Last year, it was revealed that a backlog in a federal database delayed a possible match between evidence found at Sarasota crime scenes and the DNA of convicted felon Delmer Smith III, which had been taken from him while he was in prison for an earlier bank robbery conviction..

During that lag time, a Manatee woman, Kathleen Briles, was beaten to death in her home, a slaying for which Smith was later charged -- and a slaying that local officials say might have been prevented if a DNA match had been made earlier.

More recently, we saw what can happen when the DNA database system works as designed.

Kevin L. Fortune on Friday was charged with sexual battery after detectives say his DNA was matched with evidence from a May 2008 rape case in Bradenton. He was already in jail on charges related to a separate case from June 2009.

And on Tuesday, Manatee County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested Willie Lee Shannon of Ellenton, after learning he was wanted in Las Vegas for murder, kidnapping and sexual assault in 1981.

The key evidence in the case, according to authorities, was Shannon's own DNA, after it was matched with semen recovered just last month from the underwear of the 18-year-old victim, Jamey Walker.

Police and prosecutors use DNA to link suspects with crimes. But defense lawyers also use it as they try to clear their clients.

For example, the Innocence Project of Florida earlier this year released DNA test results it says clear a Palmetto man, Derrick Williams, of a 1992 kidnapping and rape in Manatee County. Williams is serving life in prison, as a motion to vacate his sentence remains pending.

-- Marc R. Masferrer