Snakebite Mom, Truther Guilty, Russian Hackers

Patch operates 24 daily news sites in the Tampa Bay area and surrounding counties. The following are some of the top stories from the past day:

Attorney Bilked Elderly Clients' Estates: Sheriff

A 38-year-old estate attorney from Venice faces criminal charges after Sarasota County deputies say he bilked clients out of thousands of dollars. The arrest of Adam Russell Miller was announced Wednesday.

Brandon Sandy Hook Truther Sentenced

A 57-year-old Brandon woman who pleaded guilty to threatening the father of a boy killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Connecticut, has been sentenced to five months in prison.

National Merit Winners Named For Tampa Bay Area

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation has named more than 3,200 winners of National Merit Scholarships that are financed by colleges and universities across the country. Several students from the Tampa Bay area and surrounding counties made the grade to earn the awards that range between $500 to $2,000 a year for up to four years.

Forbes’ Flub: 7 Cities No Longer Best For Young Professionals

Cigar City is no longer considered one of the Top 25 metro areas for young professionals to pick up sticks and move to in 2017. Thanks to a data error, Tampa is joined by six others, including Anaheim, California; Charleston, South Carolina; and St. Louis, in getting the boot from Forbes’ Best Cities For Young Professionals 2017 rankings.

Russians Didn’t Hack Pasco County Elections: Supervisor

The Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Office was one of three across the Sunshine State to receive malicious emails in the days prior to the 2016 presidential election. A classified document allegedly leaked by a government contractor says those emails were part of a possible cyberattack perpetrated by the Russians to disrupt the national election.

St. Pete Estate Is A Boater’s Paradise

House hunters with a passion for the water might find this sprawling St. Petersburg estate to their liking. Located on Snell Isle, the property boasts a boat dock big enough to fit a 60-foot vessel.

Snakebite Mom Faces Child Abuse Charge: Video

A 34-year-old Sebring woman faces a possible child abuse charge after the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office finished its investigation into a video that surfaced on Facebook. That video showed the woman’s 1-year-old daughter being struck by a red rat snake that her mother allegedly placed in front of her for the sole purpose of letting it strike.

Blood Drives Honor Memory Of Pulse Nightclub Victims

As the one-year anniversary of the Pulse nightclub massacre nears, the Tampa Bay area is gearing up to honor the lives lost by helping save others. OneBlood, the region’s primary supplier of blood products, has announced several upcoming drives. The mayors of Clearwater and Tampa have already signed up for one.

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