Walt Buteau
WKRG
Tampa, FL, United States
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Past articles by Walt:
Florida neighbors call for change after 20 tons of trash removed from ‘hoarder’s’ yard
A mess that covered an entire yard on 56th North Street in St. Petersburg, and plagued residents for more than two years has finally been cleared away, but some remain concerned the mountain of debris could rise again. → Read More
Accused St. Petersburg hoarder jailed after arrest on drug charges
Drugs allegedly found inside a St. Petersburg home put the owner in jail while daily liens against him from the city tied to an eyesore outside continue to add up. → Read More
Five-year fight with VA ends with help for Tampa combat veteran
The Veterans Affairs Administration relented on repeated denials for a retired Marine, granting him a long-awaited disability claim. → Read More
Bay area residents claim Ian debris dump endangers protected tortoises
At one point there were only a few dozen piles of Ian-related debris rising above an Englewood neighborhood near Buchan airport. → Read More
Pasco’s Sheriff Nocco sued again over ‘intelligence led policing’
For the fourth time in about 18 months Pasco County’s Sheriff is named in a civil lawsuit aimed at his intelligence led policing program. → Read More
FDLE to reveal results of fraudulent testing scam investigation at Pasco high school
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is expected to hold a press conference Friday to announce the results of a year-long investigation into a “fraudulent testing scam” involving Pasco County teachers. → Read More
Bay area, national data raises ‘red flags’ for some but VA insists veterans prefer VA care
While the VA found only positives in data showing a small fraction of veterans received primary care through the program that allows private sector help if they wait too long for appointments, others remain skeptical. → Read More
MacDill parents frustrated about lack of details in meeting prompted by sex crime case
Several parents who live on MacDill Air Force Base said a recent town hall style meeting with base leadership did not answer many of their questions prompted by a juvenile-on-juvenile sex crime investigation. → Read More
Benefit restored for Bay area woman who celebrates 101st after Feds thought she was dead
Betty Ashley is alive and well on her 101st birthday, but she had to prove the obvious to a government agency that inexplicably stopped paying a benefit her late husband had earned. → Read More
Florida’s wrongful death law leaves malpractice claimants ‘stuck not knowing’ but change stalls again
BRANDON, Fla. (WFLA) – Keith Davis knew something was wrong when he sent his daughter a video of his swollen leg from his Brandon Regional Hospital bed. After he died three days later, Sabrina Davis was left with several questions that she claims the hospital would not answer. She was stunned when requests to file […] → Read More
VA’s foreclosure of disabled veteran’s Bradenton home inches forward after objection to auction sale
A new bank that appeared to step into the foreclosure fray involving a disabled veteran has denied it is involved with the case. → Read More
Unlicensed Tampa Bay exterminator who forged bogus termite document cuts deal
The last time Joe Mendoza was cited for working as an exterminator without a license, records show he did not pay the fines and continued his illegal career. → Read More
Can Tampa agency help homeowner after alleged ‘foul play’, arson, contractor probes?
A Tampa city councilman has requested help from a city agency for a resident whose unfinished home is the focus of an investigation by city inspectors and the fire department. → Read More
State examines home at center of building inspection, arson probes
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — State investigators from the agency that licenses contractors examined a Tampa home Friday, following complaints from the owner, who is locked in a dispute with the builder. Agents from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) spent about an hour in and outside the East Caracas Street home. On […] → Read More
Suspicious fires under investigation at Tampa house at center of building inspection probe
The Tampa Fire Department is investigating a pair of fires in a vacant house that is at the center of a bitter dispute involving a Tampa contractor and a homeowner who claims she’s been waiting far too long to move into the home. → Read More
Tampa trainer faces suspension over horse that died from overdose in New Jersey
A horse trainer who now works at Tampa Bay Downs is appealing a two-year suspension that was leveled at him after a thoroughbred he was training at Monmouth Park in New Jersey died from an overdose from a drug that’s prohibited at race tracks. → Read More
Probe into Hillsborough County narcotics theft case involved undercover investigators
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office went undercover in the investigation of a paramedic implicated in the theft of narcotics from the fire department. → Read More
New Port Richey couple says nearly $21,000 in jewelry missing from move to Tampa Bay area
Sarpolis and her husband said they had not moved in decades and were naïve about the potential pitfalls. → Read More
Tampa’s $45K roof – and the taxpayer-fueled nonprofit that OK’d it
A city spokesperson said the invoices and other requested documents could be available as early as next week. → Read More
Lawsuit alleges Pasco sheriff’s ‘intelligence-led policing’ violates civil rights
The third lawsuit filed within a year against Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco alleges the department’s Intelligence Led Policing goes too far and violates the civil rights of the targets. → Read More