CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Florida authorities say two small planes were forced to land in unusual locations.

No injuries were reported in either of the forced landings Saturday.

Palm Beach Fire Department spokesman James Weber tells WPTV-TV that a twin-engine plane was forced to land on the beach south of the Palm Beach Inlet. Weber says the plane had engine trouble.

Across the state, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office says a single-engine plane crash landed in a field near a Clearwater elementary school.

Federal authorities were expected to investigate each crash.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. (AP) — A Tampa Bay area man has been arrested in a sexual abuse case from the 1980s — two days after he got out of prison for another molestation.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said 42-year-old David Allshouse was arrested Tuesday while he was checking in with his probation officer. The Pinellas Park man had just gotten out of prison Sunday after serving more than seven years for 2003 child sexual battery convictions.

A sheriff’s report said the newest victim reported the abuse from the 1980s when he learned Allshouse would be getting out of prison soon. The victim, now grown and living out of state, said the abuse occurred for four years when Allshouse was babysitting him.

Records did not say if Allshouse has an attorney yet.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Related articles

• Pinellas County inmate’s death under investigation (tampa.cbslocal.com)
• Police Investigating After Fla. Newborn Dies (tampa.cbslocal.com)

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office reports that Deputy Chris Platt and St. Petersburg Police Officer Doug Weaver were riding in a cruiser Thursday night when an oncoming van turned in front of them.

Platt and Weaver were taken to a nearby hospital, where they were treated and released.

Officials say four people were in the van, but no serious injuries were reported.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.

Related articles

• Deputies: Motorcyclist jumped off Skyway bridge (tampa.cbslocal.com)
• Students injured in school bus crash (tampa.cbslocal.com)

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. (AP) — A Floridacouple told authorities that they were sleeping when their adult son stabbed them multiple times.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office reports that Phillip and Nancy Miller are recovering from the wounds they received during Thursday’s attack.

According to a news release, Nancy Miller was able to escape long enough to dial 911 from her cell phone.

Officials say their 34-year-old son possibly also stabbed himself. Jason Alan Miller is in a local hospital and has been arrested on two counts of attempted first-degree murder.

It wasn’t unclear what provoked the alleged attack.

The investigation continues.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.

Jessica Marie Beers, 28, was arrested Saturday and charged with sale of parental rights and violation of probation for grand theft.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said a Tampa couple had been helping Beers financially after meeting the mother through their church. The man told deputies Beers had a prescription drug problem and was leaving the boy with them more and more.

Last week, Beers reportedly offered to sell her parental rights to the couple, but they suspected she wanted the money for drugs. That’s when the man contacted deputies and set up a controlled exchange with the mother.

After Beers’ arrest, the child was taken into state custody.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

St. Pete consultant lives among homeless to develop plans

By ANDREW FORD

The new guy in the park always gets checked out by the regulars. Robert Marbut learned that firsthand.

He grew out his beard, put on tattered clothes and slept on the street four times in the last few months. He is a contractor who was hired by the city of St. Petersburg in October to try to help with the homeless problem.

Marbut acted as different characters.

“I’ve done the drunk, I’ve done delusional, I’ve done under the influence, I’ve done some mental health issues,” Marbut said. “The goal is to fit in.”

He has traveled the nation, studying what works and what doesn’t for cities dealing with homelessness.

He’s slept on the street in most of the cities he’s worked in. When he goes, he leaves his BlackBerry, his wallet and I.D. behind. He brings water in an old plastic bottle; he keeps a business card in his sock in case he has to explain himself to the police … again.

“I’m convinced I have the best immune system from working with homeless people across the country,” he said.

When he’s not on the street, Marbut has been staying at the Courtyard Marriott downtown, just two blocks from Williams Park and Mirror Lake – historically two primary gathering spots for the homeless.

When he slept on the street in downtown St. Petersburg, he learned that there are almost more agencies trying to help the homeless there than anywhere else he’s been. And people are very aware of the agencies.

“Folks on the street that have been here awhile are very skilled at knowing how to game the different agencies,” Marbut said. “They know that they can sleep at this place for three weeks; some other place for 30 days.”

“A lot of folks on the street just bounce around between one emergency service and another emergency service,” he said.

Marbut was paid $5,300 a month between October 2010 and May to produce an action plan to deal with the city’s homeless issue. He accepted half pay in June and July, because the city was short on money and he wanted to stay and see the project through.

He will receive $5,300 a month August through November, when his contract is set to expire.

Marbut has noticed two common extremes that arise when people try to help the homeless: alleviating responsibility in the matter by providing simple care, or arresting them callously and providing no care. Neither option is effective.

If you feed someone on the street, you’re allowing them to stay on the street, Marbut said. You’re not solving the deeper problems that put them there in the first place.

Marbut says laws on the books should be used as tools to nudge homeless people toward care and rehabilitation.

In the past, St. Petersburg’s response to homelessness has swung between coddling and tent slashing. In January 2007, police using box cutters ripped apart and carted away a tent city that homeless people were using for shelter.

With the arrival of Marbut, the city appears to have found middle ground.

“The tent cutting, to me, is just as dumb as feeding without case management,” Marbut said. “You don’t get them into programs by arresting them …”

He is working on a series of proposals to deal with the city’s homeless issue. He released his fourth revision on June 12; there will be seven installments, each one adding to and revising the previous release.

In Marbut’s fourth proposal, he said the county needs to centralize its efforts. There should be central leadership to coordinate independent agencies. For example, groups that feed the homeless should network with groups that clothe the homeless and groups that provide mental health support.

The various groups that offer help to homeless people should communicate to monitor the people they serve and prevent gaming of the system. There should be centralized case management that follows people through the system.

*************

A few years ago, the man found urinating on the church wall in downtown St. Petersburg would have been arrested. Same goes for the one on the corner drinking 12 beers in public.

Now they have a choice – go to jail or go to a place like Pinellas Safe Harbor, a Clearwater shelter where they can get basic necessities like food and a place to sleep. They can also get case management and advice on where to go to help solve their problems.

Police around the county can pick up homeless folks in violation of ordinances like the one in St. Petersburg that bans sleeping on public land, and give them the option of going to Safe Harbor or being arrested and going to jail.

It costs $126 per day to house someone in jail, according to a report by Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. It costs $20 to house someone in Safe Harbor. Fifteen of the 24 cities in Pinellas County have given money to Safe Harbor

From Safe Harbor, offenders would be triaged into the system of Pinellas County programs to treat their particular problem.

Women who suffer from domestic violence could be put with other women. Veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder could be placed with other veterans. People that continue to break the law would end up in jail.

Safe Harbor, which is next to the Pinellas County jail, has recently added an outdoor courtyard said to hold 100; in total it can hold 470 people.

The goal is for people arrested for petty crimes to be handled through Safe Harbor alone, saving the taxpayers money, according to Bob Gualtieri, chief deputy and general counsel for the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

Marbut, who grew up in San Antonio, Texas, helped create a 37-acre complex in his hometown called Haven for Hope that houses the homeless. Safe Harbor follows the same concept that Marbut devised for Haven for Hope.

As part of his action plan, Marbut proposes that Safe Harbor be enlarged to hold 550.

“The best way to solve homelessness in St. Petersburg is to solve it in Pinellas County,” Marbut said. He says ordinances throughout the county should be made more uniform.

Organizations should stop feeding people on the street, he said. It enables them to remain where they are, rather than getting them treatment for the deeper issues

But Marbut’s recommendations are not without critics.

Bruce Fyfe is the chairman of Homeless Emergency Project, a center in Dunedin. He is concerned that the central organization Marbut suggests would take control of existing funds rather than increase them.

The main building of Fyfe’s campus is modern and designed for efficiency. Recycled building materials, special plumbing and lighting are attractive and efficient. The outside of the building is paneled in copper. Its look, feel and smell are more like a museum than a homeless shelter. Some of the apartments on the campus are outfitted with stainless-steel kitchen appliances and leather furniture.

Fyfe said his agency has an 80 percent success rate. “Our goal is to make this the last homeless shelter anyone will ever have to stay in,” Fyfe said.

However, HEP has selection criteria. It doesn’t take the people caught committing misdemeanors, according to Gualtieri. Those are the people Safe Harbor aims to deal with. Those are the people that Gualtieri wants to put in shelters and not in Pinellas County jail.

**************

St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster said Marbut changed the way people were trying to tackle the homeless problem.

“I think people were dealing with it rather than fixing the challenge,” he said.

Along with public safety and the city’s budget, Foster considers homelessness one of his top issues.

Foster referenced the upcoming Republican National Convention as a time when Tampa will be under national attention and might be sensitive about the homeless on its streets. Foster said he has spoken with Mayor Bob Buckhorn, who seemed interested in the success Pinellas County has experienced.

“They have a huge challenge that needs to be addressed that so far has not been,” Foster said. “I suspect they’re very curious as to how we’re doing it over here.”

“I don’t think it would take them as long, but it’s going to take the political will and so far they have not demonstrated that political will,” he said.

********************

Marbut said some people living on the street are lost in a haze of alcohol dependence called “wet brain.” It’s a condition in which they can barely function without a bit of alcohol in their system.

James Scallion is more likely to answer to “Country.” Street names mean more in Williams Park than the names on I.D. cards.

Country approached Marbut in the park. His hands were shaking because he hadn’t had a drink that day.

He was not wearing a shirt, exposing a raw lump on his left shoulder. He opened his mouth and pulled back his cheek to show where he lost several teeth. He said he was beaten by a nearly-naked female fighter for videos on the site Shefights.net. They paid him $50.

Country wanted some money to buy fries from a restaurant. He said he might buy a beer — just one.

Marbut handed him $10 and told him not to buy a beer.

Marbut had met this man before. Marbut had broken up a fight between two men with knives and Country came forward to tell the police what happened.

Marbut watched as Country walked through the park and took the $10 into Five Guys Burgers and Fries. He smiled and said he’d check up with Country later at Safe Harbor.

Country didn’t end up buying the beer. When Marbut checked up on Country, he got back change.

“It’s just like you pick the friends you trust,” Marbut said. “You develop relationships and you know who will burn you. Every time I’ve ever interacted with him, his word is his word.”

A picture of Dave Perry with his new girlfriend, Melissa Marie Walker. Perry's ex-girlfriend, Kelly Rothwell, has been missing since March.

St. Petersburg, Florida – 10 News has learned that the ex-boyfriend of missing police cadet, Kelly Rothwell, now has a new girlfriend.

David Perry has moved on to a new woman he met off of the Craig’s List website, according to Pinellas detectives. He met his new girlfriend just two weeks after Kelly went missing.

The woman’s name is Melissa Marie Walker from Las Vegas, Nevada.  The 35-year-old is reportedly in the military and could be deployed to Hawaii soon.

Detectives say Perry told friends in New York that he now wants to move to Hawaii and begin a new life.

Detectives say they warned Melissa about Perry and his past.

Detective Michael Bailey from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said, “She told us she didn’t care and that they worked everything out. We warned her.  She said she could no longer assist us in the investigation and [search for Kelly].”

Kelly went missing nearly three months ago.  She was on her way to break up with Perry at their Indian Rocks Beach condo.

So far, Perry has not cooperated with Pinellas detectives. In fact, he took off for upstate New York shortly after Kelly went missing.   He was arrested last month for insurance fraud and his car was impounded.

On Monday, when he went to pick up his car in Elmira, New York, Perry was not counting on being face to face with Pinellas detectives. Two investigators from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office traveled to New York to talk with Perry.

They say, he was not willing to speak with them.  Detective Michael Bailey told 10 News, “He had a meltdown and began running around the police station.  He peeled out in the parking lot and took off.”

Perry drove off and refused to talk. Investigators are continuing to question those close to Perry, including his daughters.

However, Perry’s daughters, Brittany and Brandy, both in their early 20s and each married, refused to cooperate and answer any questions.

Bailey said, “We just wanted to talk with them about Kelly.  They would not come in for an interview. Brittany asked for an attorney.”

Perry will not do any police interviews. He has not provided DNA samples.  He simply will not talk about his ex-girlfriend at all.

Last month, Perry was arrested on charges of insurance fraud, accused of faking a workman’s comp injury when he was a state corrections officer.

Perry is not considered a suspect in Kelly’s disappearance. At this point, she is considered a missing person. It is not a homicide case.

The search for Kelly continues.

Related Stories:

• Search teams arrive to look for missing police cadet Kelly Rothwell
• “He killed Kelly Rothwell,” says ex-wife of missing police cadet’s boyfriend
• Kelly Rothwell remembered at police graduation
• St. Petersburg area police recruit Kelly Rothwell is missing
• Missing cadet Kelly Rothwell: Did her boyfriend kill her?
• Ex-boyfriend posts bail on unrelated charges
• Detectives interview David Perry

Sunday, May 8, 2011

With the 35-year-old police cadet missing without a trace and no leads to her whereabouts, Patch recreates a time line of her disappearance and the events that followed.

By Leigh Clifton | Email the author | April 6, 2011

It has been nearly a month since the Indian Rocks Beach resident Kelly Rothwell disappeared.

There have been no sightings, cell phone calls or credit card purchases that would suggest Rothwell is safe or even alive, since the 35-year-old Indian Rocks Beach woman dropped out of sight on March 12.

As family, friends, associates and police investigators hunt for Rothwell, Patch has created a timeline that marks her disappearance and the events that have followed.

It shows how quickly friends, her immediate family and investigators responded, when Rothwell — who has been described as dependable — disappeared.

Rothwell’s absence was first noticed when she failed to meet some friends from the police academy for a Saturday night out. She was not at her desk at the St. Pete Police Academy on Monday morning.

The timeline also shows how the departure of David Perry, Rothwell’s live-in boyfriend, for New York coincided with her disappearance.

Perry, a 46-year-old retired New York State prison guard, first refused to talk with investigators, but then said last week he does not know what happened to her.

1:30-3:38 p.m., Saturday, March 12^th: Rothwell has lunch with friend Donna Scharrett at Chili’s Restaurant on Rt. 19, Clearwater. She leaves the restaurant,telling Scharrett she’s headed to her Indian Rocks Beach condominium to break up with live-in boyfriend David Perry. A time stamp on Scharrett’s lunch receipt shows the two settling up and heading out at 3:38 p.m. Rothwell drives away in her Subaru.

4:30-5:30 p.m., March 12th: Downstairs neighbor Ken Williamson and his wife hear a loud pounding noise on the floor of Rothwell’s condominium, which is directly above the unit where he and his wife live. The pounding sounds like something being dropped on the carpeted floor, Williamson said. It is followed by the sound of a vacuum cleaner running in Rothwell’s master bedroom.

6:30 p.m., March 12th: Rothwell is a no-show for a planned get-together at Caddy’s, on Sunset Beach, that include some of the cadets at the St. Petersburg Police Academy.

6:30 p.m., March 12th: Scharrett gets a text from Rothwell’s phone, advising that she will call later. Scharrett recalls there are misspellings, which are unusual for Rothwell.

Before midnight March 12th: Perry, Rothwell’s live-in boyfriend, leaves Indian Rocks Beach for Elmira, NY. Perry leaves behind many belongings.

10 a.m., Sunday March 13^th: Bill Nobles, a police cadet and classmate of Rothwell, calls Scharrett, asking if she has seen Rothwell, who did not show up for the party at Caddy’s.

10:15 a.m., March 13th: Scharrett tries Rothwell’s cell phone several times, with no answer. Scharrett is worried about her friend’s safety, since Rothwell had disclosed that she and Perry have had “domestic” problems. Scharrett calls Nobles back, and he advises her to call the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and ask for a “House Check” for her friend. She contacts the Sheriff’s Office, which dispatches a patrol car.

11 a.m., March 13th: Scharrett hears back from the Sheriff’s Office that no one is at the condominium and that vehicles belonging to Perry and Rothwell are not in their assigned parking spaces at the condominium complex.

Noon, March 13th: With the help of neighbors who have a key, deputies enter Rothwell’s condo and find no one at home.

Early afternoon, March 13th: Rothwell’s green Subaru is found a couple miles from her house, parked near a Holiday Inn.

9 p.m., March 13^th: Homicide Detective Michael Bailey, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, goes to Scharrett’s home and takes a statement from Rothwell’s best friend.

Monday, March 14th: Rothwell does not show up at the St. Pete Police Academy. Prior to this, she has never missed a day of class.

March 14th: David R. Perry, Perry’s 21-year-old son, shows up at the condo and tries to remove a cardboard box, which detectives take into their possession and have at this time.

March 15th: Florida detectives make contact with Perry in Elmira, New York, but the retired corrections officer refuses to talk with investigators or to allow New York police to search his car.

Monday, March 21: Nancy Rothwell, Kelly’s mother, meets Scharrett at her daughter’s condo. She tries to assist in the search for her daughter.

Tuesday, March 22: William Constantine, a close friend of Scharrett, meets Nancy Rothwell at Kelly’s condo. Constantine is a psychic and medium who offers his assistance at no charge to the Rothwell family.

Wednesday, March 23^rd: TV’s Nancy Grace interviews Rothwell’s neighbor, Ken Williamson, her sister Kristen and psychic William Constantine. The case starts to get national attention.

March 24^th: Perry surrenders his car to New York detectives. Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office executes a second search warrant of the Indian Rocks Beach condominium that Rothwell shared with Perry.

10:30 a.m., Sunday, March 27^th: Detectives with Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Homicide Division, learn David Perry has returned to Florida and is cleaning out a storage locker at a local storage facility. They approach him and ask him to provide a DNA sample. Perry refuses.

Friday, April 1^st: New York attorney Thomas Reilly tells the Associated Press that his client, David Perry, did nothing wrong and does not know the whereabouts of Kelly Rothwell. He also asserts his client’s right to refuse to speak to police.

April 1-3^rd: Perry is seen driving a gray rental car near his home at 1708 W. Church St., in Elmira, NY.

Wednesday, April 6: Kelly Rothwell is still missing. Friends and loved ones keep vigil for Rothwell via the Facebook Page titled: “Help Find Kelly Rothwell.”

Wednesday, April 13: St. Pete Police Academy is scheduled to graduate its spring class of recruits. Rothwell’s name is listed among the students, with the notation: “Not in attendance.” There will be a candlelight vigil and prayer circle to honor Rothwell following the 6 p.m. graduation ceremony.

http://largo.patch.com/articles/timeline-what-happened-to-kelly-rothwell-2

St. Petersburg, Florida – Her story has captured the attention of the nation.

Missing police cadet Kelly Rothwell is the subject of a massive search across the country. The 35-year-old disappeared without a trace on March 12th. She was last seen at a Clearwater Chili’s having lunch with her best friend. Kelly was on her way to the Indian Rocks Beach condo that she shared with her boyfriend, David Perry, to break up with him.

No one has seen her since then.

Detective Michael Bailey tells 10 News, “She could be anywhere in the United States, obviously, between Florida and New York. That’s an area David Perry is familiar with. Probably not a bad idea to check it out.”

Kelly’s ex-boyfriend, David Perry, is a retired corrections officer who detectives say fled to New York right after she went missing. He hasn’t helped in the search, detectives say.  In addition, he has not provided any DNA samples that they requested.

He won’t even do an interview or provide them with a timeline as to Kelly’s last whereabouts.

Kelly’s story has gained so much attention that the National group Cue Center for Missing Persons, out of North Carolina, is getting involved. They are bringing search teams and dogs to find her.

Group Founder Monica Caison says, “I was born and raised in the area and am familiar with the area. I can’t wait to start looking at some areas.”

Caison loves her career with the group that’s been around for 17 years.  It is her passion. She says the key to cracking this case is to keep Kelly’s story in the spotlight, and one way to do that is a website.

The website will be up and running by the end of the week. It’s called “Help find Kelly Rothwell.”

Caison says, “It gives us a place where people can send messages to the Rothwell family, as well as tips or leads.”

This weekend, a vigil is being organized for Kelly, not in Florida, but in Elmira, New York, her ex-boyfriend’s hometown. Kelly’s friends and family are hoping that the vigil brings more attention to her case and could encourage Perry to talk.

Detective Bailey says, “Elmira is a small town. I’m certain because of coverage, everyone is aware of the case, so it’s important for them to see that a lead may come from that.”

It could be that lead that allows detectives to find Kelly Rothwell in Pinellas County.

Detectives have also confirmed to 10 News that they are putting together billboards next month with Kelly’s information.  It could help jog someone’s memory. They are also continuing to speak with Kelly’s classmates at the police academy, where she was at the top of her class.

If you know where Kelly is or have any information on her disappearance, there’s a reward of up to $1,000 waiting for you.

You can remain anonymous.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/189062/250/ONLY-on-10-Teams-head-to-Fla-to-look-for-missing-cadet

Published: 4/26

Elmira, N.Y. – As authorities continue the search for Kelly Rothwell, many Elmira neighbors are hoping to shed some light on the situation.

Kelly Rothwell is the girlfriend of David Perry.

The former Elmira man is a person of interest in her disappearance last month.  After she went missing, in Florida, Perry returned here to Elmira.

This on going situation has touched a number of neighbors here in the southern tier.  Some are planning a candle light vigil this weekend.

JoLynn Morgan is planning the vigil.  She said, “It’s a family event.  We have candles, bring candles, bring your good vibes and wishes for the Rothwell family.  We’re trying to bring Kelly home.”

Morgan says along with the candle light, there will be poems read.  She says there will also be a prayer reading lead by a local pastor.

If you’re interested in participating in vigil, you’ll need to head to Eldridge Park, this Saturday, April 30th.  It starts at 7:30 p.m. at the carousel.

David Perry is not considered at suspect in the Kelly Rothwell missing persons case, just a person of interest.

So far, he has refused to be questioned by authorities.

Neighbor Ken Williamson tells Nancy Grace he heard loud thumping noises on the floor above his head between 4p.m.- 5p.m. Saturday March 12th, which was about an hour after she was last seen in public.

TV talk show host Nancy Grace interviewed family, neighbors and a friend of missing St. Petersburg police cadet Kelly Rothwell on her HLN News show Wednesday night.

Grace called the mystery a “bombshell” and told viewers that Rothwell had disappeared into “thin air.”

Ken Williamson, a neighbor of Rothwell and her live-in boyfriend, David Perry, told Grace that on Saturday, March 12th,  he and his wife Mary heard loud thumping sounds coming from the upstairs condo where Rothwell and Perry lived.

“It sounded like four or five loud thumps, like some kind of heavy object, something with some substantial weight to it, was either slammed or dropped on the floor,” Williamson told the talk show host.

“My wife heard them at first. Of the four or five, I heard at least two.”

The Williamsons’ downstairs master bedroom is directly above Rothwell’s and Perry’s master bedroom; Williamson said that he was in his own master bedroom when he heard the thumping on the floor directly above his head.

Then Williamson said he heard vacuuming. It was something that he didn’t feel was unusual in that Perry often vacuumed several times a day.

Williamson considered going up to the apartment but did not think it was a good idea since he and Perry did not have a warm reationship.

“I thought about going up there and checking on things, maybe asking Dave if there was something wrong, after I heard the loud thumping noises,” he said.

“But when I heard the vacuum going, I figured to leave well enough alone. He never answered his door when somebody knocked. He also never answered his phone, so I didn’t go up there.”

Police continue to search for the 35-year-old police cadet, reported missing on Sunday, March 13 by a friend. David Perry went to New York the same weekend that his girlfriend disappeared. He refuses to discuss her whereabouts with police.

In a taped interview, Mary Williamson told producers she was afraid of Perry. Her husband recounted two separate incidents where authorities were called because of confrontations with Perry. In one case, Williamson filed a complaint with police, claiming that Perry stomped on his floor so hard that Williamson’s ceiling fan crashed to the floor.

Mary Williamson also was shown visibly upset and expressing worry that Rothwell was no longer alive. Grace also talked with one of Rothwell’s sisters, Kristen.

The TV show also had numerous photos of Rothwell that seemed to be from family photo albums, showing the young woman happy and smiling, on vacation and with relatives.

The show also had a video of Rothwell training as a recruit. Another video, taken from a store surveillance camera, showed her at Publix buying groceries on Saturday, March 12. No one has been able to trace her movements after that.

Grace also had nationally known psychic William Constantine as a guest, but cut him off twice as the program went to commercial. Constantine told viewers that he felt that Rothwell had been hit in the head and that some sort of serious altercation had taken place in the master bedroom. Constantine, who visited Rothwell’s Indian Rocks Beach condo, said he  smelled some sort of strong disinfectant cleaning solution when he went inside.

Constantine, in an interview after his appearance on the Nancy Grace show, said that the talk show host apologized and has offered to have him back on the show Thursday night at 8.p.m. He said that producers expressed interest in continuing to follow the case.

http://largo.patch.com/articles/tvs-nancy-grace-explores-case-of-missing-police-recruit-kelly-rothwell-2

ST. PETERSBURG – An empty chair with yellow sunflowers marked the seat that Kelly Rothwell would have taken, as Cadet Class 177 of the St. Petersburg Police Academy graduated Wednesday evening.The cadets were given their badges and certificates for completion of the academy program, as a crowd of law enforcement dignitaries and family members watched. The mood was positive but took a decidedly somber tone as the program began with a tribute to Rothwell, who has been missing since March 12.

Rothwell’s family, friends and investigators worry that she may be the victim of foul play. It is uncharacteristic of Rothwell not to stay in contact with loved ones, yet alone miss a day of police training school. Yet she is gone without a trace, and there has been so indication the 35-year-old has used her cell phone or credit cards.

She was last seen at a Clearwater Chili’s restaurant.

A lone bagpiper walked slowly down the aisle toward the dais where police chiefs from Tampa Bay municipalities sat with Academy Director John Dressback and coordinators Joe Smith and Lauren Dupont Wednesday.

Seated in the front row and escorted by cadets from class 178 were fraternal twins Lindsay and Lauren Rothwell, Kelly Rothwell’s sisters, and Donna Scharrett, Rothwell’s best friend.

Scharrett has been the most vocal local advocate for keeping the disappearance of her best friend in the public eye. The Rothwell sisters flew down to Florida from Baltimore Tuesday evening to attend the graduation and to receive a plaque honoring Rothwell’s achievements at the academy.

As the cadets entered into the large room and marched down the aisle, each carried a single orange Gerber Daisy and placed it in a vase at the front of the podium. Rothwell’s favorite color is orange, and the crowd was peppered with people wearing orange as a tribute to honor her.

The St. Pete Police Color Guard presented the colors, then John Dressback addressed the crowd and spoke of how this class, 177, had to endure more than any other class during its time at the academy.

“No Class,” he said, “has had to endure the loss of three veteran police officers and now one of their own, Kelly Rothwell, is missing. We’ve had a tough time here, but it has made us stronger, more determined and closer as a family, because that’s what we are.”

Dressback spoke fondly of Rothwell, whom he cited as a leader among her cadet class. Cadets Richard Bishop and Bill Nobles, with whom Rothwell was very close, came to the stage to speak of Rothwell.

Both men held back obvious emotion as they asked Rothwell’s sisters to the stage to accept a plaque from the cadet class. The plaque, designed from black granite in the shape of a police badge, paid tribute to Rothwell.

Part of the message stated: “We will never stop looking for you… Can’t stop, Won’t Stop.” Bishop and Nobles then presented the vase of orange Gerber Daisies to the sisters. They also presented them with a smaller plaque, with Rothwell’s name and her favorite saying; “When You Allow Yourself to Listen, Your Dreams Unfold.”

After the ceremony, the crowd went outside and was given candles to light as Rothwell’s plaque was placed against the flag pole, a flag pole that, as a cadet, Rothwell had taken on as her responsibility, leading the ceremony of raising and lowering the American flag for the cadet class.

As family and friends gathered around, the candles were placed around the plaque, the dying light of the day reflecting in the dark granite.

It was a silent prayer from the Cadet Class 177 to a fellow cadet… one who is still missing.

The sisters of Kelly Rothwell, Lauren, left, and Lindsey, take part in a candlelight vigil held after the graduation ceremonies for her cadet class.

April 13, 2011

ST. PETERSBURG – Kelly Rothwell was supposed to graduate from a St. Petersburg College police academy on Wednesday night.

Instead, her family and friends gathered outside the college’s Allstate Center and held a candlelight vigil in her honor.

Rothwell went missing one month ago, and no one has seen or heard from her since.

Lindsay Rothwell, Kelly’s twin sister, said she has no idea what happened to her.

The graduating class presented a plaque in Kelly Rothwell's memory to her family.

“We hold onto hope always,” Rothwell said. “Because she will come home. Somehow or another, she will come home.”

“I just wish that the person that might be responsible for all this would cooperate and talk to help all of us out,” Rothwell said.

On March 12, Kelly Rothwell told a close friend over lunch that she was going to break up with her live-in boyfriend David Perry, 46, a former New York state prison guard.

Perry was located by authorities in New York shortly after Rothwell was reported missing. He has refused to answer detectives’ questions about Rothwell and has also refused to take a DNA test.

Rothwell, 35, of Indian Rocks Beach was a police academy recruit since November. She had not missed a day until she was reported missing.

Rothwell’s mother, Nancy, said in March it was out of character for Rothwell to not contact family or friends for a long time. She said her daughter is a private person, so she didn’t share any concerns with her regarding any troubles she may have been having with Perry.

The missing woman’s sister said it has been hard.

“Every time you hear a phone call, you think it might be her or knock on the door,” Lindsay Rothwell said. “It’s heartbreaking.”

Anyone with information about the case should contact the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office at (727) 582-6200. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477) or go to http://www.crimestoppersofpinellas.org.

News Channel 8 reporter Peter Bernard contributed to this report.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2011/apr/13/132212/vigil-for-missing-woman-tonight-at-st-pete-police-/news-metro/

Calling the case of missing police cadet Kelly Rothwell suspicious, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s office executed a second search warrant Thursday at the Indian Rocks Beach condo, where Rothwell lived with her boyfriend David Perry.

Rothwell, a police cadet training in St. Petersburg, was reported missing March 13. She was last seen March 12, when she was on her way to break up with Perry, according to her friend Donna Scharrett, who first contacted police.

Det. Mike Bailey also released new information Friday about attempts by investigators to meet with Perry, who has refused to talk with detectives.

Bailey said that Perry, who left for New York the weekend Rothwell disappeared, has consented to have his vehicle searched by detectives there. He also is providing a timeline of his activities through a spokesman for his attorney.

Bailey said that Perry consented to only give information on three hours of that timeline. According to Bailey, it is unclear at this time whether or not Perry has, in fact, hired an attorney.

“The information we have received via email about Perry’s limited cooperation is from an attorney spokesperson. We are not aware if he has actually hired an attorney to represent him,” Bailey said. “Our question remains that we are left to wonder is why he would need an attorney if he has not been charged with any crime. We just don’t know.”

Bailey said that the Florida investigation included processing Rothwell’s car, found at a Holiday Inn two miles from her house. Bailey declined to say if any substantial evidence pertaining to Rothwell’s disappearance was found.

Detectives interviewed friends, family and neighbors of Rothwell and Perry.

Bailey confirmed that on March 14 David Perry’s son, David Perry Jr., showed up at the condo and tried to remove a cardboard box, which detectives took into their possession and have at this time.

Bailey has declined to describe the contents of the box. Perry Jr., who lives near Indian Rocks Beach, then left Florida and returned to Elmira, New York. Bailey said that Perry Jr. just returned to Florida.

Perry Sr. has been unavailable for comment.

The last time anyone heard from Rothwell was March 12, when she had lunch with Scharrett at a Chili’s restaurant. Scharrett said that Rothwell told her she planned to end her relationship with Perry.

Rothwell had planned to move in with friends in the Palm Harbor area. Scharrett said that Rothwell had described Perry’s behavior as very controlling and possessive, and that he had been reading her emails.

Scharrett asked deputies to perform a welfare check at the condo. Neither Rothwell nor Perry were inside the condo, and both of their cars were gone. Most of the furniture and belongings were undisturbed.

http://clearwater.patch.com/articles/sheriffs-office-executes-second-search-warrant-at-kelly-rothwells-condo

Donna Scharrett was the last person to see the 35-year-old Rothwell. They had a girls night on Friday, and a grocery store surveillance camera caught a glimpse of both women as they grabbed pizzas for dinner, reported CBS affiliate WTSP.

The next morning the two went to yoga and then had lunch at Chili’s. That was the last time Scharrett saw her friend.

Scharret told WTSP that Rothwell had plans to go home and break up with her boyfriend David Perry, whom she had tried to break up with before unsuccessfully.

Indian Rocks Beach detectives say Rothwell was sharing an apartment with Perry, 46, who was a retired corrections officer, the station reported.

Since Rothwell has disappeared, Perry has skipped town in Pinellas County, Fla. Detectives say he is now in New York and refusing to cooperate with the investigation.

Sunday, detectives found a man at Rothwell’s apartment taking out the trash and watering the flowers; it ended up being Perry’s 21-year-old son, David Perry Jr., according to WTSP.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20044238-504083.html

INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Fla. — Kelly Rothwell liked to tell friends she had the best backyard: From the living room window in her second-floor condo, she could see the blue water of the Gulf of Mexico gently rolling onto the white, sandy beach. It was a soothing sight for Rothwell, a 35-year-old police recruit whose loved ones say her life was anything but tranquil.

Rothwell hasn’t been seen in almost three weeks, and detectives, family and friends grimly concede there’s a good chance she is dead.

On March 12, she told a close friend over lunch that she was going to break up with her live-in boyfriend David Perry, a former New York state prison guard. The normally sunny Rothwell was becoming increasingly disturbed at his possessive behavior, friend Donna Scharrett said, and had decided to move out of the condo, away from the stunning view but closer to her support system.

“She was excited and positive but at the same time, serene,” said Scharrett, who befriended Rothwell at a group meditation on the beach. “She was telling me how she was looking forward to the change in her life. Leaving Dave and graduating from the police academy.”

Rothwell drove away from that lunch, Scharrett said, determined to begin her new life.

No one has seen her since that day.

“She’s an extremely regimented person,” said Pinellas County Sheriff’s detective Michael Bailey, noting that Rothwell would have never missed one police academy class, much less several weeks of lessons.

Rothwell’s body hasn’t been found, and detectives have scant evidence to prove any crime was committed at all. Perry has refused to take a DNA test or even talk to authorities beyond having his lawyer give them a loose, three-hour timeline of the night Rothwell disappeared. Perry’s lawyer, Thomas Reilly, did not return messages from The Associated Press, and messages left at listings for David Perry in Elmira, N.Y., were not returned.

Neighbors there said Perry was friendly enough and has kept a tidy home there.

Bailey and Detective Amy Plourde have had to find out as much as they can about Rothwell’s life by talking to her friends, family and neighbors.

Rothwell was born and raised in Maryland and went to college in southern Colorado. As a human resources employee for a hotel chain, she moved to Florida in 2006 and immediately rented the Gulf-front condo. Neighbor Ken Williamson described the young woman as “quiet and sweet.”

“But when we got Dave in here, that was a different story,” said Williamson, who is 76.
Perry, now 46, met Rothwell in line at Sweet Tomatoes, a salad bar chain. Rothwell’s sister Lindsay said Perry wasn’t living in Florida at the time but moved from New York “in a matter of two to three weeks.”

Lindsay Rothwell didn’t know much about the couple — “Kelly was always private with her relationships” — but said she visited them once and found herself wary of Perry because he had a bad temper.

“He kind of made her distant from her family,” the sister said. “She always seemed like she couldn’t talk. It’s almost like he put her in a trance.”

Perry was a corrections officer in Elmira, N.Y., and had at least two children from a prior relationship. According to New York Department of Corrections records, Perry was hired in 1986, went on sick leave in 2004 and never returned to duty. He retired in 2005.

Lindsay Rothwell and others who knew Rothwell said Perry monitored her online activity and texted her incessantly.

Neighbor Williamson said Perry’s temper would change quickly and he would get angry at small incidents. Once, Williamson washed his deck, which was near Perry’s parking space. Water had dripped on Perry’s car.

“He went ballistic,” Williamson said, adding that he called police because he felt so threatened. No arrests were made.

Kelly Rothwell’s company downsized and she lost her job. In late 2010, she decided to switch careers and enrolled in police academy, a choice that came as no surprise to her friend Scharrett.

“She would typically come to my house and we would sit here for hours drinking herbal tea, talking about life,” Scharrett said. “We both have this romantic notion that, yes, we can change the world one person at a time.”

Rothwell would always visit Scharrett, never the other way around. In fact, Scharrett had never even met Perry.

Once in the academy, Rothwell took classes on various laws and procedures. She paid special attention to the domestic violence portion of the lessons.

“That did open her eyes a little bit to the fact that she didn’t think it was a very healthy relationship and she might need to get out,” said Plourde, the detective.

Rothwell told Scharrett: “I’m going to have to face a lot of my own fears.”

On March 11, Rothwell spent the night at Scharrett’s. The two drank wine and ate frozen pizza and stayed up talking until 3 in the morning. The next day, they went to a meditation-breathwork session — Rothwell was interested in New Age beliefs — and then to Chili’s for lunch, where Rothwell said she had made up her mind to leave Perry. A friend at the police academy had a home she could stay in, and Scharrett promised to help her move the next day.

Scharrett also asked Rothwell if she wanted her to go along when she talked to Perry.

“It’s going to be OK,” Scharrett recalled Rothwell saying. “It’s going to be a good conversation.”
Sunday morning, another recruit from the police academy called Scharrett. Rothwell was supposed to meet a group of academy students but didn’t show.

“I literally almost threw up,” Scharrett said. “I instantly knew.”

She called authorities, who immediately went to the condo. No one was there.

On Sunday, Rothwell’s Subaru was found two miles away, parked near a hotel that had no record of her checking in.

Investigators say they consider Perry a witness.

“I don’t understand why he’s not cooperating and I don’t understand why he’s not out there trying to find her,” Lindsay Rothwell said.

Scharrett has ordered orange bracelets that say “Help Bring Kelly Rothwell Home,” and has blanketed Pinellas County with flyers. She’s active in a Facebook page dedicated to Rothwell.

“I’m working really hard at trying to do things but there’s really nothing I can do,” she said. “Everyone has lost in this. Everyone.”

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/04/01/florida-police-recruit-missing-boyfriend-wont-talk/#ixzz1KjmMWNoZ

Indian Rocks Beach, Florida – The mother of an Indian Rocks Beach woman is in Florida this week to gather her daughter’s personal belongings. Kelly Rothwell went missing more than a week ago.

Nancy Rothwell says her daughter’s boyfriend is not cooperating with investigators and she now she fears her daughter may likely be dead.

Kelly Rothwell, 35, was just weeks away from graduation at the St. Petersburg Police Academy when she was reported missing by a close friend on March 13th. Deputies responded to the home for a welfare check, but the home was empty.

Rothwell’s car was later found abandoned several miles from her home and her longtime boyfriend, Dave Perry, was tracked to New York, where investigators say he is not cooperating with the investigation and will not allow detectives to search his car. Perry is a former corrections officer from Elmira, New York.

A neighbor who lives in the same building with Rothwell and Perry on Indian Rocks Beach says on Saturday evening before Kelly was reported missing, he and his wife heard loud noises coming from the couple’s condo directly above theirs.

“It was a thumping and banging on the ceiling. I don’t know how to describe it. [It sounded] like somebody threw something down or threw something on the ceiling real bad,” said neighbor Ken Williamson.

Rothwell’s friend, Donna Scharrett, says after their lunch Saturday, Kelly planned to return home to talk to her boyfriend about breaking up. She has not been seen since.

The family has hired a psychic to help answer some of their many unanswered questions. Detective Mike Bailey of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office says while Perry remains a strong person of interest, there is no evidence to have him arrested and, at this point, there are no new leads in the case.

Beau Zimmer, 10 News

http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/182825/8/Mother-fears-missing-Indian-Rocks-Beach-woman-Kelly-Rothwell-is-dead

Police are searching for a Florida police cadet who disappeared after telling a friend she and her boyfriend were having “domestic issues.”

Kelly Rothwell, 35, was last seen Saturday when she left a restaurant after meeting her friend, Donna Scharett. That same weekend, her live-in boyfriend, David Perry, abruptly left for New York. Perry, 46, is a retired corrections officer.

“He’s elected not to discuss anything to do with this case or provide us any background,” Pinellas County Detective Michael Bailey told ABC Affiliate WFTS.

Scharett met Rothwell at a Chili’s restaurant Saturday afternoon. Rothwell, 35, was gushing about training at the Pinellas Police Academy in St. Petersburg, Fla. She’d recently decided to switch careers from working in human resources with Hilton Hotels to becoming a police officer.

“She was looking forward to big changes in her life…really looking forward to starting her career with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s office,” Scharett said. “She’d found her voice and that’s one of the things she told me over lunch.”

The two women also discussed Rothwell’s boyfriend, Perry.

“They had their problems,” Scharett, 46, said. “He was a very controlling person, very domineering and Kelly [Rothwell], up until joining the academy, she was very shy and introverted, very timid.”

“We’ve only met him a handful of times. We’ve all had our suspicions about him, he seemed to be controlling,” Lauren Rothwell said. “I’m pretty confident that he has everything to do with this. People just don’ t leave when their girlfriend is missing.”

Lauren Rothwell last spoke to her sister last Wednesday.Over the last few months, Lauren Rothwell said that her sister had become increasingly private.

Neighbors of Rothwell also describe her boyfriend, Perry, as domineering.

“When he was around, she would hardly say anything to anybody,” Ken Williamson, a neighbor, said. “Dave had a personality where he’d be really nice and then turn on you in an instant and come at you like a tiger.”

Neighbors Call Missing Woman’s Boyfriend ‘Domineering’

Rothwell and Perry lived above Williamson. The day Rothwell was last seen, Williamson said he and his wife heard loud noises coming from above them in the late hours of Saturday night.

“We heard loud thumping, banging like somebody threw something real hard a number of times…and then it stopped and the next day police were out here,” he said.

Scharett, the friend that met Rothwell for lunch, called police on Sunday. Rothwell had made plans to meet friends at a bar the night before and never showed up, an out of character move.

“She never returned any calls and I just immediately got a sick feeling and that’s when I called the Pinellas County Sheriff’s office and asked them to do a house check. That was because of the domestic issues she’d shared with me,” Scharett said.

Police found Rothwell’s car outside a hotel two miles south of her Indian Rocks Beach home. Her purse and wallet were not in the car, police said.

The woman’s family found out Monday that she was missing from a message the police left on her father’s answering machine.

“Initially I was panicked,” Lauren Rothwell said.

She called her sister’s boyfriend, Perry.

“He of course [said], I don’t know what happened to her. He said she had left to go over to a friends and never made it to a friend’s house,” Rothwell said. “I had a feeling that he was behind what was going on. I hung up.”

Police have not identified Perry as a suspect in her disappearance, but they want to talk to him.

“He’s a witness we’d like to speak with,” Sgt. Thomas Nestor said. “We’re trying to put together a timeline and last we knew she was leaving a restaurant and going home.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/pinellas-police-search-missing-florida-police-cadet-kelly/story?id=13150529

Today, handlers, deputies and some in the public gathered at the Curlew Hills Memory Gardens Pet Cemetery where the remains of five dogs were interred. Among those honored was a dog named “Lion” who served the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office for 10 years, starting in 1998.

READ ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office reported that the 33-year-old man left a 3-year-old and a 4-year-old in a car late Sunday night, while he drank at the bar, for 30 to 60 minutes.

At the time of his arrest, police were not sure of his relationship to the kids.

He was arrested on two felony counts of child neglect and is being held at the Pinellas County Jail on $10,000 bail.

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Coats told commissioners that he needs the money to fund critical programs that help offenders insure offenders don’t return to jail.

The sheriff says he’s already sent layoff notices to 24 detention deputies. Coats is also worried about the future of his DUI and Traffic Units.

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