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

     

[KDubRN]

Keep bombarding the senate.....be resolute

[Theodore R.]

I am confused about the FL judicial elections. Doesn't George W. Greer run in November, with voters marking "Yes" or "No" to retain him for another six years? There are no opponents as such, is there? I understand that he was unopposed in 1998 and is very popular in Pinellas Co. for some reason. Was he initially appointed by Lawton Chiles or what?

[Theodore R.]

Terri is more popular than JOHN KERRY, it seems.

Is this true? A few days back Kerry was leading Bush in a FL poll by some 7 percentage points. And the TV station polls usually show as many people who want Terri dead as who want her rehabilitated. It's enough to make one question the wisdom of FL voters -- or voters nearly everywhere for that matter.

[mickie]

I am also in tears.....prayerfully thanking God for answering our prayers for help in this terrible situation which Terri is in.

[lakey]

Although he wanted to be a criminal defense lawyer, Tragos accepted a job following law school as a prosecutor in the State Attorney's Office, eventually becoming Chief of the Felony Division of the Clearwater office. "There was no better place to train and get the necessary trial experience than to be a prosecutor. What I really loved were the stakes -- life and death, freedom or prison. But I also gained great respect for criminal lawyers during this time, since they were the only thing standing between me and winning every case I ever tried. No matter how bad the case, the criminal defense lawyer, at least the good ones, fought like crazy. The principles of the Constitution were so important to them that it did not matter if they liked the client, or whether they approved of the client's activity."

The principles of the Constitution.... Thank God somebody on Terri's side understands its importance, for our country is nothing without it.

[Ohioan from Florida]

Thanks. I will.

[Ohioan from Florida]

Found this on their website.
http://www.clearwaterpolice.org/contact.asp

Contact Information
Clearwater Police Department
645 Pierce St.
Clearwater, FL 33756



EMERGENCY: Dial 9-1-1

Clearwater Police Hotline: (727) 562-4080
24 hour recorded voice messaging system for providing tips on current investigations, requesting non-urgent information, commenting on departmental operations, requesting increased traffic enforcement in your neighborhood, or filing a complaint. Messages left on this automated system are checked every business day. The hotline is not intended for emergencies or urgent requests for police service.

Email: contact@clearwaterpolice.org
(Do not use email to report crimes or incidents in progress. This email address is monitored during weekday business hours only)

[Ohioan from Florida]

Impressive work people! We definitely need to keep Mr. Tragos in our prayers, as we know that satan will try to make his life very difficult for him.

[Ohioan from Florida]

If God wanted someone to pass on, does anyone think Science could defy His wishes?

You think along the same lines as I do. If God were really ready for Terri, she would be with Him by now. Her surviving all these things is proof that she is still part of His plan for those of us in this life. God's will for Terri is not yet complete.

[Ohioan from Florida]

Your opinion about that matter is also highly regarded by others on this thread. Thanks for your continued support and attention to Terri. Your work has not gone overlooked, I assure you.

[mickie]

HAPPY PALM SUNDAY TO ALL.

God Bless Terri.

God Bless George Tragos

And all her supporters.

And don't forget to turn your clocks ahead.

[cyn]

Yes, it does -- and it also would seem that something went wrong at some point.

Inquiring minds want to know: were Terri's injuries indeed puncture wounds consistent with what a needle would make? "Oh, look, we found a needle cap in her bed, too!" -- OR -- "Oh, dear, my bad, (so say the doctor AND the lawyer) it's just scratches, and no harm done after all." (and this after they jumped all over the Schindlers in public!)

Either way, harm was indeed done to Terri. Jerks.

Oh, dear Lord, please continue to guard and protect Terri -- keep those who are charged with her care gentle and kind! Let them be afraid of You even though they are not afraid of man!

[supercat]

Inquiring minds want to know: were Terri's injuries indeed puncture wounds consistent with what a needle would make? "Oh, look, we found a needle cap in her bed, too!" -- OR -- "Oh, dear, my bad, (so say the doctor AND the lawyer) it's just scratches, and no harm done after all." (and this after they jumped all over the Schindlers in public!)

Actually, I'd like to know whether they could plausibly be mistaken for needle "puncture" marks. If the marks are such that nobody seeing them would call them puncture wounds, then that would be very suspicious. Why, in such case, would Michael, Felos et al. call them pucture wounds unless they had reason to believe that they would be?

My personal conjecture is that somebody was supposed to inject Terri with something doubleplus ungood, but for some reason--possibly Terri's squirming--they failed to do so successfully.

[cyn]

" Why, in such case, would Michael, Felos et al. call them puncture wounds unless they had reason to believe that they would be?"

Exactly my thoughts! And that's a point fv had made, as well, early on. With the press release all prepared and everything!

I'm concerned for her -- this is so over the top, and this is a season where an ungodly person might want to do harm. Mind you, that's just a crazy thought that I didn't want to be alone with.

[Pegita]

Heavenly Father, we return to give You thanks for this new direction that Terri's legal team has taken. Thank You for the presence of one who is versed in criminal justice and areas of fraud. May this attorney compliment Terri's existing team, for surely they are weary from the struggle of many years. Strengthen them, for the signs of desperation are seen in the activities around Terri, and against her. Guard her, we earnestly pray ... protect her, for she has no other but You at her side. Open a way for her parents to visit ... comfort her in her distress at not seeing her beloved family. Bring together all heavenly forces to halt these merchants of death, for their mission is clear and their object is this mother's child. We beseech You, Lord, to defeat them that she might be restored to her family. In the Name of Jesus, may it be thus, Amen ...

[YoSoy2]

"``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."

Sounds like this monster, Michael Schifo (mispelling intentional), won't rest until he sees his wife dead.

Prayers for Terri.

[YoSoy2]

Thanks for the heads up re MB.

The Lord says, "if you're not with me, you're against me."

I haven't read all of his/her posts, but honestly believe he/she is working for the other camp - the camp of death.

[yesnettv]

MB's posts are not anti Terri.
He is schooled in PR.
What he is saying, sadly, is right on.
I am not a PR person, but have been well-trained in PR.
Many years ago, my having read one PR book helped save the public relations status with a Fortune 500 company when a corporate jet went down.
Company manuals stated that the first manager aware of a disaster, or problem, was to take over until the proper manager came on the scene, or checked in.

At 6:15 am on a Sunday am, I called our corporate hangar and told them I would not be making the 7am flight due to extreme sinus congestion, and they need not keep a plane waiting for me - I would fly commercial later in the day when I got my sinuses handled.

7:15am, the radio station I listened to cut in for a brief news alert - corporate jet crashed on takeoff, all feared dead. My heart sank into my stomach. I thought, "I hope I remember what my manual said about the first manager aware of a disaster." I called my hanger, and the hysterical administrative assistant answered, having just spoken to the tower. Our plane, MY BELOVED STAFF gone. I told her to close the hanger doors, turn off the lights, and asked if she thought she could get home all right. Fighting back tears, I quickly arranged for our security service to pick her and her car up and get her home.

On to dealing with the tower and the media: Got the tower to agree not to talk to the media and actually deny that anything had happened. Called 3 of the media and asked their assistance in contacting the rest of them to keep everything out of the media until we could contact next of kin. Incredibly helpful! Nothing was broadcast or published until we had figured out what "spin" to put on it.

That afternoon, execs from all departments and two international PR firms and I brainstormed on what the PR spin was to be. The CO was in the red at that time, and had many other major problems. I was "spelled" about 3pm, when a payroll representative brought me final paychecks and separate checks for 2x annual salary for my deceased people. Then a driver and I dutifully made the rounds of the homes of my staff to notify them of their demise, give them the bucks, tell them the company would pick up burial expenses. I am told I did a good job. I was in shock. My staff!

The point of this post, is we kept the fact that the crash out of the media for over 36 hours, and by the time anything was published, the company was shown in a good light - and this was the death of people!!!!!! Wind shear was the cause.

PR "spin" is incredibly important!

[Future Useless Eater]

---

So the signs bother Michael? Well Mikey, here's a Happy Birthday gift for ya...

[Future Useless Eater]

MB's posts are not anti Terri. He is schooled in PR.

Well he WAS against using science (a simple low-tech feeding tube) to save Terri last october 24th, so that doesn't exactly make him Pro-Terri either.

I'm not sufficiently convinced he's changed his spots, only that he thinks he can discourage freepers here. At least a dozen have told him to take his radical ideas to the family/insiders group, get it blessed, and we'd follow THEIR recommendations.

Instead, he whines that THEY haven't called HIM yet. Well DUH! Perhaps they can see right thru him and realize his past Anti-Terri remarks. He also said this: I have recommended well-respected names in both areas to Schiavo family friends months ago." ...Ah, so they already rejected his help... sour grapes?...

So in the meantime MB resorts to waging war of his own. I see from other threads on different subjects in the last six months he engages in lots of flame wars where posts need to get yanked by moderators. So far, his brilliant P.R. has all been directed AGAINST our best freepers. For example, here is a tamer comment he said to one: "If I drive over from Orlando, set up an effective PR program, get a decent lawyer involved, will you and the other one tooth wonders sit down, shut up, stay home and stop looking like loonies every time you are on TV?"

Much of his 'advice' seems to play right into the hand of Michael. On a different thread he sighed that all his former co-workers at CBS entertainment division have now moved on to CBS News.