THE NEWS-PRESS, FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2003 Local Cape counselor charged with abuse TAPE: Shoap says man may be 'angry' at sheriff's office in Severson has been a licensed substance-abuse counselor since Rebecca Hamilton has said it doesn't appear Fitch who stood Ehone, police said. Then he had er kneel again, and he punched her face and head several times, police reported. The wife told police she obeyed Severson because she feared him. The two have been married 4Vi years. Mazzitelli was shocked by Sev-erson's arrest and said he'd never displayed a temper.
But she said that's the nature of domestic violence. "You don't know who they are," she said. "They could be doctors, neighbors, or a good friend. Or an employee." By CHARLES RUNNELLS A Cape Coral substance-abuse counselor was arrested Wednesday on charges he held his wife captive and then abused her, police said. Police booked Robert "Ernie" Severson, 33, of 1728 S.W.
Santa Barbara Place, for aggravated battery and false imprisonment. Severson was a contracted drug- and alcohol-abuse counselor with Fort Myers' Aim Target Programs. He worked there about two hours each week, said director Sharon Mazzitelli day in Lee County Jail without bond. According to Cape police, Severson abused his wife on two occasions. On March 1L the 430-pound Severson got angry because his wife hadn't finished her "tp do list," police reported.
He made her plug in her curling iron and ordered her to kneel on their bed. He burned her buttocks and breasts repeatedly, police said. On Tuesday, he wouldn't let her go to work and he ordered her to remove the phone from their bedroom and turn over her cell February 2002, according to the Florida Certification Board. Mazzitelli said she fired Severson on Wednesday when she learned of his SEVERSON arrest. "Aim Target Programs has zero tolerance for domestic violence," she said.
"Period." Severson was being held Thurs Cape restaurant to raise funds for club fire victims IF YOU GO By DAN DELUCA Getting a first-hand look at the devastation caused by The Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, R.I., left Eddie Durante with an empty feeling. "To see how many people it affected, the children that lost one or both of their parents, it was pretty bad," said Durante, whose 40-year-old sister-in-law Lori Durante was among the 99 people who perished in the Feb. 20 blaze. Nearly 200 more were injured. "Being there and going to the site (of the fire), it's hard to really describe." On the plane ride back to Southwest Florida, Durante and his mother Joni, co-owners of Papa Joe's Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria in Cape Coral, decided they wanted to do something to help ease the financial burden of the fire victims and their families and also honor the memory of Lori Durante.
On Sunday, the family will host a fund-raiser for the nation- vided free of charge. A $1 donation is requested for beverages, and raffles will be held for about 40 prizes. Entertainment will be by Mario Infanti and The Catman Doodz. INFORMATION: Call 945-1700. tificates to a three-day trip to the all-inclusive Marriott Crystal Palace Hotel and Resort in Nassau, Bahamas.
The money collected will be presented to the relief fund by Lori Durante's sons, Anthony, 15, and MichaeL The teenagers will attend the fund-raiser Sunday along with their father, Tony. Joni Durante said the family is "overwhelmed" by the support it has received from the local business community. "People came to us asking Delkringyourvvorid 6-foot-l and weighed 210 pounds could have been standing upright when he was shot because of the trajectory of the bullet She has said an autopsy indicated Fitch was leaning over when the bullet was tired, but said she can't say whether he was swinging the metal bar. "I know that's been an issue, but I can't tell you exactly where his arms were, Hamilton said. The bullet tore through Fitch's upper-right chest and traveled downward into a lune and through several blood vessels, Hamilton said.
"It created a lot of damage," she said. "It's a pretty big round. He basically bled to death internally. Fitch was a native of Baltimore who moved to North Fort Myers in 1983. He worked in construc-tioa specializing in drywall, and had no history of adult arrests in Lee County.
Whether he was arrested while a juvenile isn't known because juvenile court records are confidential Fitch's parents, Mark and Patricia Fitch of North Fort Myers, have declined to discuss their son's death with The News-Press. 'We're just going to have to see what the state attorney brings out and we're just going to have to go from there," said attorney Judd Aronowitz of Coral Gables, who represents the couple. "Of course, we want all witnesses to testify." Edwards, who has been on administrative duty since the shooting, declined comment "If you have any questions, direct them to the Lee County Sheriffs Office," Edwards said. Avery couldn't say Thursday when the state's investigation might be concluded. "It's an ongoing investigatioa' she said.
The News-Press columnist Sam Cook contributed to this report supervisor election decide and campaign before the tall 2004 elections. She said she will not get involved on behalf of individual candidates. "I do believe in these days when elections are changing, the technology is changing, and the laws are changing, it's crucial for a successful candidate to have a very thorough understanding of the processes and all the laws involved." Young went to work in the county elections office in 1975, and won election to the top job in 1988 with y) percent ot the vote. In that race she defeated B.J. Nuckolls, who had to run after being appointed to the post fol lowing Supervisor Enid fcarle resignation a year betore the eleo tioa Since thea Young has never had an opponent While other Florida counties struggled with new equipment and controversies in the 2000 and 2002 elections, Lee County and Young won statewide praise for smooth elections.
Elections have undergone tremendous changes since she took office, Young said, and officials struggle to balance making voting easy and preventing fraud. Lee's numbers of registered vot ers also have almost doubled since she was elected, to 276,730 as of January. But she said she wanted to see the next election through before leaving. what they could do," she said. "We've been here for 13 years, but we never really knew how many friends we had." The Durantes gained a couple of new friends by reaching out to a pair of Cape Coral residents who were also tragically affected by The Station fire.
Annmarie Swidwa's daughter, Bridget Sanetti, perished in the blaze and Leonard Servis' brother Milton was seriously injured. The three families met for dinner last week at Papa Joe's for what Servis called "a therapy More than $1.8 million has been raised nationally so far to help deal with the short-term costs of the families of The Station fire victims. But Swidwa said more is still needed. "When you think about the children that were left at home with the baby sitter while their parents went out, it's just heartbreaking," she said. "There are so many people that need so much help it's really unbelievable." PRESS April 5th 10am -5pm From Page IB to Edwards or the other two deputies in the car George Min-gione and Thomas Flynn but he said they probably didn't want to tie up traffic any more than necessary.
"If a person is not part of a crime scene, you don't want to unnecessarily detain them," King said The 911 tape doesn't reveal much more about Williams' call because the emergency dispatcher eventually transferred Williams to someone else, and that part of the conversation wasn't taped. They may have transferred him back to major crimes or something," King said. "I don't really know." Williams has disputed several points in the deputies' account of the incident, but Sheriff Rod Shoap has suggested Williams may be "angry with the Lee County Sheriffs Office" because "we have arrested him more than once" on drug charges. Williams acknowledged spending time behind bars after drug-related arrests, but he said he has no ax to grind. "Instead of flipping this man off, if they'd have just shown him a badge this man wouldn't have had to die," Williams said.
The News-Press requested a copy of the 911 tape March 27, but the sheriffs office refused to release it then, as did the state attorney's office. State attorney's office Communications Director Chere Avery said Thursday her agency did not want the tape released because, "It's part of an ongoing investigatioa" Maj. George Mitar of the sheriffs office said he decided to release the tape because it's not likely to affect the investigatioa "I think most everybody has had their statement taken by now," Mitar said. "We're just waiting for the state to get done with their investigatioa District 21 Medical Examiner Lee elections won't seek re By BETTY PARKER bparkerfflnews-press com Lee County Elections Supervisor Philinda Young, who led voters through years of changes at the ballot box, said Thursday she will not seek re-election next year. Young, who'll be 63 when she leaves office in January 2005, said she wants to spend time with family, concentrate on her music she's a frequent soloist at area events and travel.
"I know I've made the right decision and I feel good about YOUNG it, she said. "I feel like I've built a wonderful team of workers here, and I've led this office into the 21st century," especially in terms of technology. Former Secretary of State Jim Smith, who oversaw elections during his terms from 1987-95 and in 2002, said Young's absence will be a loss to the state. "She's one of the ones I made special visits to because she did such a great job," said Smith, who's working in Tallahassee. "We never had any problems.
Over the years she had a reputation for doing outstanding work." Young said she wanted to make her plans known early, so potential candidates will have time to FLORIDA LOTTO APRIL 2 13-17-29-36-42 4 The next Lotto CASH 3 drawing is Saturday, April FANTASY THE NEWS Gentle Experienced Foot Care UMEMmmSEMm.Mli IB New Treatments Available Tingling a Numb Feet NOTICE FOR DBS (Direct Broadcast Satellite) TV Subscribers This area has been selected for testing wireless TV and High speed Internet using the most advanced wireless technology available. This testing is conducted under a license issued by the Federal Communications Commission. Test Period: 15 April 31 May, 2003 Test Area: Clewiston, Florida and surrounding counties. It is not anticipated that this system will cause interference with existing systems. If you believe, however, that this testing is interfering with your satellite TV reception, call 1-877-677-MDSA, immediately.
PUBLISH: March 31 -April 14, 2003 John W. Mina. D.P.M., P.A. North Fort Myers Podiatrist Medicare Most Insurance Accepted In most cases there is no out of pocket expense North Fort Myers ran 995-1588 Cape Coral 513-1001 WHAT: Fund-raiser for The Station Nightclub Relief Fund WHEN: 3 to 8 p.m. Sunday WHERE: Papa Joe's Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria, 814 E.
Cape Coral Parkway COST: There is no admission fee. Food also will be pro- al "Station Nightclub Fire Relief Fund" from 3 to 8 p.m. at their restaurant, located at 814 Cape Coral Parkway East. "Whatever we raise will probably be a drop in the bucket to what they could really use," Joni Durante said. The fund-raiser will feature free food and entertainment provided by Mario Infanti and The Catman Doodz.
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