Black Widow
06-22-2009, 03:00 PM
TAMPA - Former Hillsborough County Commissioner Brian Blair was released on his own recognizance this morning, a day after his arrest on two counts of child abuse.
Circuit Judge Walter "Buzzy" Heinrich said child protective investigators will determine whether Blair can see his two sons.
Blair, 52, did not speak at the hearing. Nor did his wife, Toni.
"Toni is great and the children are doing great," said George Lorenzo, an attorney for the ex-commissioner.
Blair was arrested at 5:12 a.m. Sunday at his Forest Hills home, accused of beating up his sons on Father's Day.
Here's what happened Sunday, according to an arrest report:
Shortly before 4 a.m., Blair pushed his 17-year-old son, Brett, in the chest at the family's home. When the boy tried to walk away, Blair grabbed him, punched him in the face and put him in a choke hold, making it tough for his son to breathe. Then Blair turned his attention to his younger son, Bradley. He grabbed the boy by the throat and punched him in the head, leaving a mark.
Bradley is listed as being 13 on Blair's campaign Web site, though the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office report filed after Blair's arrest says he is 12.
The arrest report does not say what sparked the confrontation.
Blair, a former professional wrestler, stands 6 feet tall, weighs 235 pounds and is described as having a muscular build in the arrest report.
He initially was held without bail, a common procedure in domestic violence cases.
He faces two domestic violence charges of child abuse, jail records show. The charges are third-degree felonies.
"He's in a bad situation. I hate to see it," friend Dick Rivett said Sunday in front of the Blairs' home.
Rivett, who said he was speaking on behalf of Toni Blair, described Blair as a loving father and husband who was "always bragging about his kids."
"He's basically a real good guy," Rivett said. "He's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet."
Rivett said Toni Blair is shaken up about what happened but didn't elaborate. He said he didn't ask Toni Blair how her sons were doing or about the circumstances surrounding the attack accusation.
Neighbor Sourour Moughamir said she has lived near the Blairs for 10 years and never heard or saw anything unusual. Blair's arrest shocked her.
"I thought it was not true," Moughamir said. "They're very good neighbors."
Sunday was not the first time Blair has been accused of attacking someone. In 1984, he was investigated by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office after detectives said he beat a former girlfriend. He was never arrested or charged in that case.
Blair denied the accusation in a 2002 interview.
"That's why it got dropped, because it wasn't true," Blair said. "If it was anything, I would have been arrested."
Blair was accused of throwing the woman over a couch, striking her 10 to 12 times in the head and face, then pulling out a patch of her hair. The sheriff's office listed the case as active for more than a month.
"I've never been a violent person or a mean person or a spiteful person," Blair said in 2002.
As a county commissioner, Blair called domestic violence "an intolerable and horrible crime" yet voted last year to cut funding for a county-sponsored domestic violence crisis center.
A conservative Republican who stressed family values, Blair was elected to the county commission in 2004 but lost a heated election last year to Kevin Beckner.
"It's an unfortunate event that happened, especially on Father's Day," Beckner said Sunday. "My thoughts and prayers are with his children and the entire Blair family."
Blair has been under a lot of stress since losing his commission seat, Rivett said.
In March, Blair filed a lawsuit claiming Beckner had falsely accused him of "self-dealing, taking action to harm women and children and supporting racism."
"There's a complete difference between negative campaigning and false campaigning," Blair said after filing the lawsuit. "This has had a profound effect on my children, my entire family."
A graduate of Tampa Bay Technical High School, Blair rose to fame in the 1980s as part of the tag-team the Killer Bees with the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment). At the height of his career, he performed at Wrestlemania III in front of more than 90,000 fans in Pontiac, Mich.
Blair parlayed his wrestling earnings to buy Gold's Gym franchises. In 1998, he sold three of the gyms for nearly $2 million, court documents show. Sunday's arrest report lists him as unemployed.
Toni Blair is his second wife; they have been married 22 years. Since 1997, Blair and his family have been members of Idlewild Baptist Church, according to his campaign Web site.
In his online biography, Blair wrote that he has devoted more than 6,000 hours in community service, including managing and coaching baseball for Forest Hills Pony League.
TBO.com
Circuit Judge Walter "Buzzy" Heinrich said child protective investigators will determine whether Blair can see his two sons.
Blair, 52, did not speak at the hearing. Nor did his wife, Toni.
"Toni is great and the children are doing great," said George Lorenzo, an attorney for the ex-commissioner.
Blair was arrested at 5:12 a.m. Sunday at his Forest Hills home, accused of beating up his sons on Father's Day.
Here's what happened Sunday, according to an arrest report:
Shortly before 4 a.m., Blair pushed his 17-year-old son, Brett, in the chest at the family's home. When the boy tried to walk away, Blair grabbed him, punched him in the face and put him in a choke hold, making it tough for his son to breathe. Then Blair turned his attention to his younger son, Bradley. He grabbed the boy by the throat and punched him in the head, leaving a mark.
Bradley is listed as being 13 on Blair's campaign Web site, though the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office report filed after Blair's arrest says he is 12.
The arrest report does not say what sparked the confrontation.
Blair, a former professional wrestler, stands 6 feet tall, weighs 235 pounds and is described as having a muscular build in the arrest report.
He initially was held without bail, a common procedure in domestic violence cases.
He faces two domestic violence charges of child abuse, jail records show. The charges are third-degree felonies.
"He's in a bad situation. I hate to see it," friend Dick Rivett said Sunday in front of the Blairs' home.
Rivett, who said he was speaking on behalf of Toni Blair, described Blair as a loving father and husband who was "always bragging about his kids."
"He's basically a real good guy," Rivett said. "He's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet."
Rivett said Toni Blair is shaken up about what happened but didn't elaborate. He said he didn't ask Toni Blair how her sons were doing or about the circumstances surrounding the attack accusation.
Neighbor Sourour Moughamir said she has lived near the Blairs for 10 years and never heard or saw anything unusual. Blair's arrest shocked her.
"I thought it was not true," Moughamir said. "They're very good neighbors."
Sunday was not the first time Blair has been accused of attacking someone. In 1984, he was investigated by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office after detectives said he beat a former girlfriend. He was never arrested or charged in that case.
Blair denied the accusation in a 2002 interview.
"That's why it got dropped, because it wasn't true," Blair said. "If it was anything, I would have been arrested."
Blair was accused of throwing the woman over a couch, striking her 10 to 12 times in the head and face, then pulling out a patch of her hair. The sheriff's office listed the case as active for more than a month.
"I've never been a violent person or a mean person or a spiteful person," Blair said in 2002.
As a county commissioner, Blair called domestic violence "an intolerable and horrible crime" yet voted last year to cut funding for a county-sponsored domestic violence crisis center.
A conservative Republican who stressed family values, Blair was elected to the county commission in 2004 but lost a heated election last year to Kevin Beckner.
"It's an unfortunate event that happened, especially on Father's Day," Beckner said Sunday. "My thoughts and prayers are with his children and the entire Blair family."
Blair has been under a lot of stress since losing his commission seat, Rivett said.
In March, Blair filed a lawsuit claiming Beckner had falsely accused him of "self-dealing, taking action to harm women and children and supporting racism."
"There's a complete difference between negative campaigning and false campaigning," Blair said after filing the lawsuit. "This has had a profound effect on my children, my entire family."
A graduate of Tampa Bay Technical High School, Blair rose to fame in the 1980s as part of the tag-team the Killer Bees with the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment). At the height of his career, he performed at Wrestlemania III in front of more than 90,000 fans in Pontiac, Mich.
Blair parlayed his wrestling earnings to buy Gold's Gym franchises. In 1998, he sold three of the gyms for nearly $2 million, court documents show. Sunday's arrest report lists him as unemployed.
Toni Blair is his second wife; they have been married 22 years. Since 1997, Blair and his family have been members of Idlewild Baptist Church, according to his campaign Web site.
In his online biography, Blair wrote that he has devoted more than 6,000 hours in community service, including managing and coaching baseball for Forest Hills Pony League.
TBO.com