TAMPA A 78-year-old mental health therapist faces up to life in prison after being convicted this afternoon of a federal charge that he drove to the Tampa area to sexually and physically abuse two boys he thought would be made available by their father. After the verdict was read, Charles Friedlander was overcome with emotion, according to his attorney, George Tragos. He was led away to jail in a wheelchair. ...more

December 16, 2008

Charles Friedlander is "a 78-year-old lonely man whose only social life is on the Internet," and not a pedophile who attempted to sexually and physically abuse two boys, Friedlander's lawyer told a jury today. ...more

December 15, 2008

Employees of Peace River Electric Cooperative (PRECO) made a startling discovery when looking for the cause of a recent power outage. Van Crawford and J.R. Gough found that power lines were torn down from four poles along a stretch of Dansby Road near Wauchula. A visual search of the area revealed a single-engine airplane lying upside down in a nearby orange grove. They arrived shortly after the Dec. 7 crash. ...more

December 11, 2008

The police interview with Charles Jackson Friedlander, a child abuse and exploitation suspect, was played for the jury at his trial. ...more

December 9, 2008