No Crime Found Against Schiavo, Police Say

Tampa Tribune ^ | 3/31/4 | DAVID SOMMER

[cyn]

CLEARWATER - There is no evidence a crime was committed against Terri Schiavo this week, police said Tuesday, but authorities will continue to investigate a complaint from her husband that someone repeatedly stuck a needle into the brain-damaged woman.

``The medical experts found nothing that gave them any pause,'' Clearwater police spokesman Wayne Shelor said. ``Our position right now is information gathering. We have a complaint, but at this point we have no evidence of a crime.''

Michael Schiavo ``considers it a criminal assault on her person,'' attorney George Felos said of multiple needle marks on Terri Schiavo's arms, reportedly found Monday by a nurse.

The discovery came after Bob and Mary Schindler spent 45 minutes visiting their daughter, Felos said.

Terri Schiavo was hospitalized Monday night while her blood was tested for unauthorized substances, Felos said. The toxicology tests found nothing abnormal, and the 40- year-old woman, in a comalike state since 1990, was returned to her room Tuesday at Park Place of Clearwater, an assisted-living facility.

Michael Schiavo and the Schindlers are locked in a 5 3/4- year dispute over Terri Schiavo's fate. Her husband contends her brain was destroyed when her heart failed in 1990 at age 26. He has convinced a series of judges that, prior to her illness, Terri Schiavo made statements indicating she would not want to be kept alive in such condition.

The Schindlers contend their daughter expressed no such wishes. They say she responds to them during visits and could improve with therapy. The St. Petersburg couple have blocked repeated attempts by their son-in-law to have Terri Schiavo's feeding tube removed so she can die.

Michael Schiavo's complaint to police this week is the latest in a series of cruelties inflicted on the Schindlers, their new criminal defense attorney, George Tragos, said Tuesday.

``It's an excuse for him to cut off the family's access. Once again he has cut off the flow of information,'' said Tragos, a former federal and state prosecutor who volunteered to represent the Schindlers.

Not only wouldn't the Schindlers do anything to hurt their daughter, it would have been virtually impossible for them to draw blood or inject medicine without being caught, he said.

An off-duty police officer guards Terri Schiavo around the clock. ``Her door is open during the entire visit, and medical people are in and out during the entire visit,'' Tragos said.

Felos said Terri Schiavo was found in a disheveled state with her feeding tube wrapped around her back and an allergy alert wristband pulled up her arm ``tight, like a tourniquet.''

What appeared to be a purple needle cap was found in the folds of her hospital gown, Felos said.

Terri Schiavo's physician, Stanton Tripodis, identified what he termed ``needle puncture marks'' on both her arms, a scratch on her abdomen near where the feeding tube is inserted, and a second scratch over the needle marks on her right forearm, Felos said.

Gov. Jeb Bush, who intervened in the case in October and ordered Terri Schiavo's feeding tube reinserted after she went six days without nourishment, on Tuesday asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to keep him abreast of the Clearwater police investigation, spokesman Jacob DiPietre said.

Reporter David Sommer can be reached at (727) 799-7413 / dsommer@tampatrib.com

Write a letter to the editor about this story -- http://tampatrib.com/opinion/lettertotheeditor.htm

     

[cyn]

Take it HERE, please -- thanks!

[floriduh voter]

Repair your reputation here at Free Republic post haste because you've lost a lot of credibility due to your archive of rude comments. I could care less about getting on camera. THE IDEA IS TO KEEP TERRI'S NAME IN THE NEWS.

You don't believe there is mass corruption in Pinellas-Pasco County but unfortunately, that's what we are facing. CORRUPTION KILLS.

[cyn]

Please do not discuss that on this thread -- anyone who is interested in that discussion can go to the other thread. In fact I just did. Thank you!

[iowamomforfreedom]

This article from 6/30/01 mentions a lawyer repesenting Terri, anybody have any earthly idea who that was?

I suspect they were referring to Richard Pearse, the Guardian Ad Litum that was appointed briefly several years ago. (You know, the one that stated that Michael had a conflict of interest and shouldn't be guardian, so Felos told Greer to get rid of him...)

[cyn]

"In Florida, he opened the first of a number of successful restaurants they have owned over the years." -- I wonder if the Tragos family still owns any restaurants? I'd make it a point to eat there next time I'm in the area. Just like when I was there in Oct it was important for me to stay at a place that wanted LIFE, not death, for Terri -- and it worked out.

[MindBender26]

Please, Sir; I view your command to "repair my reputation" with the same credence I view the results of your claims to help Terri while you are really only trying to get yourself face time on TV.

Likewise your claim that corruption is to blame for Terri's legal troubles?
Oh, boy!
The reality is, up until now, Terry's side has been outlawtered badly (until new atty came on board) and lost the PR battle at every turn. Part of the loss in the PR battle was due to the incredibly misguided "demonstrations" you led near that elementary school, and the wackos you invited to "help" you.

Pinellas-Pasco courts are not corrupt. You equate not having the courts agree with your layman's reading of the statues witg corruption! To blame the legal troubles on a corrupt court system is to seek to blame others for your own failure.

Conservatives take responsibility for their actions; successes and failures. To try to blame the court system for Terri's losses is to demonstrate a lack of knowledge of both the legal system and the PR machine that can influence the courts' opinions.

Finally, if you think PR begins and ends with "keeping someone's name in the news... Oh, boy!

Did it ever cross your mind that O.J. Simpson, Saddam and Charles Manson all had their namesa in the news on a regular basis...

If you think that PR is "keeping someone's name in the news", then your idea of world history probably begins and ends with "The Earth cooled."

[cyn]

Hi, MB -- I have an idea on how you can respond here, but not respond here. That way folks here know you take exception, but won't involve us in that ongoing discussion. Just respond over there, and link back to this -- hope that helps us both -- thanks

[firewalk]

Thanks for the ping

[Pegita]

Sunday evening prayer that the Lord is Terri's every provision in the coming days ...

[floriduh voter]

mb26 and his army of one is chasing me around free republic and you sent me back to his thread without identifying where you were sending me.

You led me back to HIS THREAD and that's the last place on earth I want to be.

TERRI'S FIGHT IS NOT A TEXTBOOK CASE and that's why there's so much feuding. Why do you think they call it Terri's Fight? BECAUSE IT'S A FIGHT.

You are trying to be a thread cop instead of allowing the free flow of ideas and discussion.

That's kind of ridiculous since nobody can control what others post to us OR WHERE THEY POST IT. Good luck if you think you can tell people where and what to POST on a forum. YOU ARE PRACTICING CENSORSHIP my friend.

mindbender25 IS DIVIDING THE GROUP. cyn, I'm surprised at you! THE NAME IS MIND BENDER. got it?

If anyone wants on Terri's non FR update list please email: fight4terri@aol.com. You'll get the latest news and calls to action without being libeled or censored. Won't that be pleasant?

[cyn]

every provision, Amen.

[cyn]

Speaking of glorious lifts -- Lady Vols, cutting it close yet again tonight, pulled it off! 52 - 50 over LSU in the last 45 seconds. Won by 2 points these last three games, all at the last minute. We're thinkin' we're getting too old for these roller coasters, lol!

Hope you all have had a good day.

[cyn]

oh, silly me, thought if I asked you all nicely . . .

The need is to focus on the recent distressing news of Terri, esp. noting the news blackout. This was important for several reasons. Mainly, this allows us to focus on brainstorming positive action for Terri. Another is that I've referred outsiders to this thread to see FR at work (lol, guess they are!). And another, doggone it, is just general decency toward each other. I explained it on the other thread.

On the series side, fv, you know that I would never knowingly offend you. I keep you all in my prayers as you are on the firing line in every way.

[MindBender26]

Please, Sir, it is time for you to get back into control again.

People on FR are not attacking, libeling, censoring or in any way scheming against you.

They are aware, however, of the results of your work that was supposedly to help Terri, but in reality has hurt her and her family very badly.

We are not trying to divide anyone. We are not your enemies. We appreciate your dedication, but that said, we also understand your shortcomings.

Under your tutelage, public support for Terri has dropped like a stone. Much effort has been focused on getting you on TV, and that seems more important to you than getting Terri professional help.

You can argue with many things. You certainly would not try to argue with your lack of success, would you?

Please, for Terri's sake, don't take this so personally.

I hope you can grow with this. Terry needs everyone's EFFECTIVE help.

[cyn]

My response here

[cyn]

Goodbye, 4/4/4.

[Wampus SC]

"George E. Tragos"

I bet Felos and Mikey are changing their underwear now!

Praise God. Tragos is the perfect addition to the team. I'm trying to remember the verses to the effect that God calls the right person to do His purposes, at exactly the right time, but can't remember it right now. I guess everyone gets my drift, though.

I'll pray for him to be protected and be successful.

[Wampus SC]

"To ALL: I am retracting for now, any support I gave for our newest Terri 'supporter', lets just call him MB... who claims to be a P.R. expert, but comes here and spends dozens of hours trashing all our best activists. He could have instead just called the people at terrisfight.org and gotten their support first for his new 'strategies'. He claimed last year to have worked in the CBS entertainment division, and he appears to be a misguided retiree (or worse) with nothing else to do but argue on his computer."

I didn't know about the CBS network connection. That could explain something. The arrogance, I guess. Anyway, yep, I agree. Not that I ever gave him support, though. I was one of several who gave him several opportunities, and explained how easy it would be, to either put up or shut up. So far he's done neither, and it's clear from subsequent posts he isn't going to do either.

So, as far as I'm concerned, from now on he'll be getting here a DayLate&DollarShort, and his posts will just get the ol' Deep_6.
:)

[Wampus SC]

I wish I had been there. If I'm able to travel again by the next demonstration/vigil, I'm going to try to drive on down.

[Wampus SC]

"mindbender25 IS DIVIDING THE GROUP. cyn, I'm surprised at you! THE NAME IS MIND BENDER. got it? "

Yep, you're right, that's exactly what's happening. Others have tried to divide and conquer before, but this is the first time anyone's had any success, and it's not good.

Satan's Think Tank <TM> must be holding special seminars on what to do about FR. Nothing they've tried worked so far, and this must not be allowed to work either.

Just my $0.02.