Reginald roundtree and heather van nest affaire

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PETERSBURG — News anchor Reginald Roundtree representative WTSP Channel 10 was dismissed Friday, the station’s parent band said.

Roundtree’s termination followed an intimate review, Anne Bentley, a spokesman for TEGNA Inc., said restrict an email Friday to honourableness Tampa Bay Times.

Bentley declined calculate elaborate, saying TEGNA — family unit in Virginia and with 49 television stations nationwide — doesn't comment on personnel matters.

Roundtree could not immediately be reached crave comment.

Roundtree, 60, had worked put on view CBS-affiliate WTSP more than 20 years, according to his on-line biography, most recently as interpretation night news anchor.

He before worked as a Miami the long arm of the law officer and got his foremost TV job at WPEC Ditch 12 in West Palm Seashore.

He was born in Daytona Beach and raised in Contemporary York and Miami. News cue the termination had not antique posted Friday afternoon at rectitude WTSP website, but Roundtree’s slide was gone from the site’s “Meet the team” page.

A foothold to the station for note was referred to TEGNA.

Substitute anchors have been filling in quandary Roundtree on news broadcasts attend to he has been sharing golfing images this week with wreath 3, Facebook followers.

The termination comes from a bizarre legal dispute alongside prominent Pinellas defense attorney Can Trevena.

Trevena wrote in pay court to documents that Roundtree, whom grace called his “former best friend,” introduced him to a spouse who stole money, jewelry other a car from Trevena take his wife. The woman, Deena Covell, is the sister commuter boat Roundtree's wife Tree.

The revelations embossed questions about Roundtree's journalistic ethics.

Trevena is representing Michael Drejka, magnanimity man who shot and attach an unarmed Markeis McGlockton equate McGlockton pushed Drejka down encircle a dispute over a illness store parking space.

The shooting colored off a national debate turn self defense and Roundtree enjoyed exclusive access to Drejka, together with the opportunity to interview him while he was in break-in at the Pinellas County describe.

Trevena and Roundtree said their friendship was the reason care for the interview, but Trevena temporary Friday defended his decision let down bring in Roundtree, saying “he’s always been balanced in crown reporting. The reason I chose him is not only thanks to he was friend, but owing to he’s a good reporter.”

Trevena blunt he and Roundtree are “trying to work things out” as to the attorney’s allegations against Roundtree’s sister-in-law, and said of magnanimity anchor’s firing: “That was topping matter between him and potentate television station.”

In , Roundtree was sentenced to six months test after pleading no contest undertake a charge stemming from uncluttered DUI arrest after he was seen driving nearly twice nobility 45 mph speed limit assigning the Courtney Campbell Parkway.

Prosecutors reduced the charge to thoughtless driving, in part because claim problems with a field coolness test recording.

Contact Kathryn Varn outside layer or kvarn@ Follow @kathrynvarn.

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