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

     

[floriduh voter]

Today's sign and wave was on Fox 13 6:00 news towards the front of the broadcast. Not bad placement for Terri. They sent a videographer who didn't interview anyone but the anchor said "It was husband Michael Schiavo's birthday today". One of the signs reflected it, kind of. We had some new signs today and some freepers came from out of town who we hadn't seen them since Terri's Dec. 3rd birthday.

Kind of weird, his on 4-3 and hers on 12-3. I think I got windburn and sunburn today. I have that windswept feeling. lol

[floriduh voter]

Thanks for that telling post, FL_engineer. Anybody can join Free Republic but we don't have to befriend them, TRUST or respect them if they can't reciprocate!

Mindbender26 spent lots of man hours slamming the entire Terri organization and now we find out that he's been against Terri all along. bttt for REAL TERRI SUPPORTERS!

[floriduh voter]

IMO, Felos staged a HOAX but they won't do anything to him. Try living here with crooks IN CHARGE. It's not easy, thus, we try to get Terri on tv at least once a week on local news. We need our freeper friends who don't live here to email the national media and leaders about this outrage in Amerika.

Terri is treated like she's in a concentration camp i.e. SOLITARY CONFINEMENT AND QUESTIONABLE CARE.

[floriduh voter]

Tragos was outraged and he's a pit bull. He's a criminal attorney and now Michael has opened a can of worms. Tragos can drag this out no matter what the CPD says.

[floriduh voter]

Tragos is a criminal attorney. The Schindlers were investigated by the Clearwater PD due to allegations by Felos.

Pat Anderson is the family's attorney but they are also represented by the ACLJ and I can't recall what the initials stand for. They are the opposite of the ACLU and I called them when this started. They were already in the loop. Pat Anderson is a good attorney IN A VERY BAD COUNTY. There's so much corruption - it's unimaginable. We are all working around it. If Judges don't lose their jobs, we'll vote them out!

[floriduh voter]

That's great. He's an expert in white collar crime. NOW I CAN THINK OF A HANDFUL OF SUSPECTS OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD in Terri's cases. Atty Tragos will be more than Felos/Michael bargained for. WHITE COLLAR CRIME - That's what this is under the guise of "the rule of law".

[codyjacksmom]

I'll do what I can in Illinois. Lets' get someone from each state to get going on this. More if we can. With as many FReepers as there are, we should be able to do this for Terri!!!!

[floriduh voter]

Tragos heard this on the radio or on tv like the rest of us locals and he immediately contacted the Schindlers. I think this was an opening where he knew he could be of service to the family. EN MASSE WHITE COLLAR CRIME. I wish he would investigate WHERE TERRI'S MONEY WENT?

[floriduh voter]

I may be wrong but I think Tragos is from Tampa. I don't know if he could run against Greer. We're gonna do our best to kick Greer into early retirement in November. I have some neat flyers that will be all over the county before the election. THESE ARE THE MOST RAD vote against somebody flyers I've ever seen.

When Judge Baird is up for election, we can work to kick him out too. THEN JUDGE DAVID DEMERS. Bounce em out one at a time. TYRANNY STINKS.

[firewalk]

Thanks for the ping

[floriduh voter]

See post 38. MB'S POSTS ARE ANTI-TERRI and ANTI-ANYBODY WHO LIFTS A FINGER FOR TERRI. I'm still standing and I took some major insults. Why do you think the organization is called Terri's Fight? IT REALLY IS A FIGHT. Have a nice Sunday, friends.

[Pegita]

Pennsylvania bump for Terri ...

[Pegita]

Keeping your thread bumped ...

[cyn]

thanks!

[cyn]

Hi, fv -- this information about Tragos is most heartening! My thanks and prayers for all involved in Terri's fight.

[cyn]

thanks for the update -- get some good rest tonight.

[Pegita]

Pinging you to Post #34 and #35 for information on Terri's new attorney ...

[Pegita]

If I say "you're welcome" to your "thanks!" ... that's another bump. You're welcome!

[amom]

Amen to your fine prayer, Pegita.

[freekitty]

"Michael Schiavo considers it a criminal assault on her person,"

It sure sounds like this was staged.