Oxycodone is the leading cause of drug overdose deaths locally

Oxycodone was the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in Sarasota, Manatee and Desoto counties in the first half of 2010, according to an interim report issued Thursday.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Florida Medical Examiners released the report examining approximately 89,800 deaths in Florida between January and June of this year.

Out of those deaths, 4,150 people were found to have died with one or more drugs in their bodies.

Drugs that were ruled as the cause of death in the 12^thMedical Examiner District, which includes Manatee County, are as follows:

• Oxycodone:  46 deaths
• Alprazolam:  38 deaths
• Methadone: 25 deaths
• Cocaine: 20 deaths
• Diazepam:  11 deaths
• Morphine: 5 deaths
• Hydrocodone:  4 deaths
• Propoxyphene: 1 death
• Heroin: 1 death

Statewide, the drugs that caused the most deaths were Oxycodone (715); all Benzodiazepines (597); which includes Alprazolam, also known as Xanax, (439) accounting for a majority of deaths; Methadone (336); Ethyl Alcohol (270); and cocaine (250), according to a released statement.

“Medical Examiners Commission report for the first six months of 2010 continues to show the lethal consequences of the diversion and abuse of prescription drugs,” said Bruce Grant, director of the Governor's Office of Drug Control in a released statement.  “This new drug crisis rivals the crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s. We must get agencies at all levels of government along with our communities and our medical professionals to step up and take action.”

In many cases multiple drugs were found in decedents' bodies, according to report, showing people sometimes died from a combination of drugs. 

Statewide, heroin is the most lethal drug in the report, however, cases decreased by 40 percent compared to the last six months of 2009. Occurrences of Oxycodone increased by 10.9 percent for the same time period, according to the report.

Woman arrested for passing fraudulent prescriptions

MANATEE - A woman remained in jail on a $40,000 bond after she passed four fake prescriptions at Bradenton Home Town Pharmacy, 1407 57th Ave. W., over the past year for Xanax and Roxicodoone, according to a Manatee County Sheriff's Office arrest warrant affidavit.

Pharmacists contacted detectives after they researched several prescriptions and made contact with the listed doctor who said 23-year-old Nicole Doborwicz was not a patient.

Doborwicz presented her driver's license each time she passed a prescription to the pharmacists.

Deborwicz's arrest is part of an effort by law enforcement to crack down on prescription drug crime and abuse. She is one of a several hundred people who have been arrested on prescription drug-related charges this year.

Every other day, at least one person dies in the three-county area of a prescription pill drug overdose, said Medical Examiner Dr. Russell Vega for the 12th district, which includes Manatee, Sarasota and Desoto counties.

Nicole Doborwicz

Floridians trying to protect wildlife lead to serious wrecks

People trying to look out for the welfare of wildlife did not fare well on Florida highways this week.

In Collier County, Steven Lee Purdy of Cape Coral died Monday night when his car was struck by another car trying to avoid an alligator crossing the road.

And in  Broward County, 44-year-old Laura Latuszynski of Weston was seriously injured Sunday evening when she stopped to help a duck. Another car then struck her parked vehicle, then hit Latuszynski.

Report: Bradenton-Sarasota-North Port is 107th most dangerous metro area in U.S.

The Bradenton-Sarasota-North Port region was the 107th most dangerous metropolitan area in the country last year, according to a national study released Sunday. That's up from #109 a year earlier.

The rankings are a result of a formula used by the study's authors to analyze 2009 statistics the FBI compiles for eight categories of crime -- murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.

Bradenton-Sarasota-North Port ranked 107th out of 347 metro areas ranked, landing between Durham-Chapel Hill, N.C., at No. 105 and Jacksonville, N.C., at 107.

A year earlier, Bradenton-Sarasota-North Port ranked #109, between Bryan-College Station, Texas, at No. 108 and Cape Coral-Fort Myers at No. 110.

Other findings of the study, conducted by CQ Press:

-- Bradenton-Sarasota-North Port ranked as the 12th most dangerous metro area in Florida in 2009. That's behind Miami-Dade County (16); Jacksonville (43); Gainesville (44); Greater Miami (48); Tallahassee (56); Orlando (59);  West Palm Beach (60); Panama City-Lynn Haven (76); Pensacola (85); Tampa-St. Petersburg (96); and Fort Lauderdale (104).

-- The safest metro area in Florida last year was Port St. Lucie, which ranked No. 186.

-- The most dangerous metro area in the country last year was Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich., and the safest was Glens Falls, N.Y.

-- The most dangerous city with a population of more than 75,000 was St. Louis, and the safest was Colonie, N.Y. (Neither Bradenton nor Sarasota were included in the city rankings.)

-- The most dangerous city in Florida was St. Petersburg, which came in at No. 31 nationally; and the safest was Coral Springs, in Broward County, which came in at No. 358 out of 400 cities ranked. (Only cities with populations of more than 75,000 were ranked.)

Some criminologists question the findings, saying the methodology is unfair. Greg Scarbro, unit chief of the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, said the FBI also discourages using the data for these types of rankings, according to an Associated Press story.

Read all the rankings here.

Prostitution arrests down in Manatee

Prostitution arrests are down for the county, according to an investigator at Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Arrests have decreased because investigators consistently conduct stings in various locations – including 14th Street West - on a regular basis. Part of the decrease may also be due to the economy, he said.

Several undercover detectives went to local spas and lingerie shops Tuesday night where they were offered sex acts in exchange for money, resulting in the arrests of three 20-something women.

One woman at one of the shops stated, “It was her first week on the job,” when asked about one of the women arrested, the detective said.

Perhaps that’s what made the operation a success. Prostitutes tend to be guarded.

“They are tough to get,” he said. “These girls are really leery.”

A detective, who worked in the sting, stated he believes many of the businesses are a front for a prostitution ring.

-- Beth Burger

Manatee sheriff's office: Pursuit followed policy

By BETH BURGER
bburger@bradenton.com

MANATEE - Manatee County Sheriff’s Office investigators are reviewing a deputy initiated pursuit that ended in the death of a 54-year-old St. Petersburg man after the 16-year-old suspect ran a red light.

Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Charles Wolfinger noticed 16-year-old Ramesse Harris was behind the wheel of a stolen white Lexus SUV at 9:40 p.m. Friday in the 2700 block of First Street.

Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Dave Bristow said that under sheriff’s office policy, all pursuits are reviewed. He noted that in this case, Wolfinger had terminated the pursuit just before the crash occurred.

“We didn’t find any problems with it. It followed all of our pursuit procedures,” Bristow said.

Read more below the fold.

Troopers looking for Toyota in hit-and-run in Bradenton

Here's an update from the Florida Highway Patrol on its investigation of a hit-and-run accident early this morning in which two pedestrians trying to cross U.S. 41 near 54th Avenue West were seriously injured:

We are currently looking for a white Toyota vehicle with front end damage and possibly a broken windshield. If anyone witnessed this crash or has information in regards to this case, please contact Trooper Russell Cruz at (941) 751-7647, ext. 440.