>> his patients trusted him. tonight a doctor is accused of raining a woman in his office. >> hillary and bernie going head to head in new hampshire with just days till the primaries. we are live from the granite state tonight. >> fears flying over the zika virus in florida, what you need to know to protect yourself. good evening. i'm jennifer leigh. >> i'm keith cate. thank you for joining us. it is the ultimate betrayal, a doctor accused of raping a patient. police arrested a well known neurosurgeon at his clearwater home yesterday. news channel 8's melanie michael joins us now live in clearwater. mel, this doctor i know posted bail and is back home. this allegation is true, it sounds like his medical career is over. >> reporter: keith, good evening to you. i can tell you dr. john drygas is in big trouble tonight and i want to show you where cops tell us this all happened, behind the closed doors of this busy surgery center in

it is the most sacred of places, where you're vulnerable sharing your most private information with a person you trust completely, at least that's what you think. dr. john drygas had a stellar reputation for being trustworthy making his patients feel at ease. >> i had very, very, very high regards for him. i would recommend him to anybody. >> he's the best man i ever met as far as a surgeon. >> reporter: one by one compliment after compliment, patients sang the praises of dr. drygas and his work at florida spine institute. in fact, the promise is made in bold print, to trust dr. drygas to help you enjoy life again. >> he will put your mind at ease. when he's done with you, you'll have your life back like i do. >> reporter: but that's not how all patients feel about this physician. he's accuse of the most disgusting devious deed, taking

summer in the very office he vowed to help people, the place he promised to do no harm. she claims he violated her in the worst way possible. 8 on your side wanted to see what the doctor had to say about these criminal charges, how would he answer to these allegations? so we went straight to the source right those building here in clearwater. but dr. drygas never answered. now he faces sexual battery charges that could change the course of his career. so what's next for this neurosurgeon? well, so far we know that he spent less than 12 hours in jail yesterday and now we're trying to track down his attorney to get some answers coming up tomorrow. keith? >> melanie michael reporting live in clearwater tonight, thank you. now an 8 on your side

>> investigators found these little dogs living in filth suffering from neglect and the county then gave them back to the owner. tonight we've got more questions about the way hillsborough county's pet resources department is run. a week ago 8 on your side told you it's become increasingly difficult for taxpayers to get pet resources to pick up strays and abandoned animals. we discovered this is all part of a pattern. tonight steve andrews is investigating. >> reporter: the county denies it, but all you have to do is look at the numbers. since hillsborough pet resources ramped up its efforts to increase its live release rate, it's significantly reduced the number of animals it's taking into the shelter. it's simple math and its results can be simply cruel. it was february, 2015. plant city police executing a warrant discover three small yorkies living in terrible conditions.

investigator, the crates that housed the dogs had urine and feces covering the bottom. they contained no food or water. the county impounded the dogs. a pet resources veterinarian included the animals suffered from neglect. it was apparent the dogs were going hungry as they onlied to attain sustenance from their own fecal material. perhaps even more outrages than the conditions in which the dogs were kept is the fact that the owner. veterinarian dr. christy layton sits on the county's animal advisory committee. >> these three would have easily been adopted out and found a good home and unfortunately they're going back to the exact situation this put them there. >> reporter: why? this is the assistant who oversees pet resources. do you know if there are dogs sent back to neglectful homes? >> i don't know that to be factual. >> reporter: so i outlined the plant city case to him. these dogs were sent back.

>> reporter: well, somebody better. the pet resources director. why would you give them back to the owner who allowed them to be neglected in the first place? >> it's our understanding through the report that the owner hadn't had those dogs for a series of months. >> reporter: the owner hadn't checked on the dogs in months and the county sent them back to her with not even a requirement the dogs be checked by a veterinarian. >> and that's a problem. when we're not caring about where these animals are going once they leave the shelter just because it's improving our numbers, that's a problem. >> reporter: the county is trying to improve its live release numbers. one way is to reduce the number of animals it takes in. according to figures from its own website, in 2012 the shelter took in several

impounds are also down, as are confiscations. >> the problem is the county is not looking into the number of animals not going into the shelter. >> reporter: there are those who say while you've increased the live release rate, you've done so at the expense of leaving animals on the street to suffer. how would you respond to that? >> i would disagree. i think that our operations were better than they were when i took over the place. >> reporter: tell that to these dogs whose owner failed to check on them and ended up like this. scott trevatoski admits mistakes were made, perhaps chief among them, the county did not require these dogs received medical care after pet resources just handed them over. >> let's be clear here. taxpayers shell out big amounts of money to insure that this shelter takes care of sick and abandoned animals in the numbers that they have in the past. so what is the answer? >> we're paying taxes to take care of these animals, take care of them. veterinarians have told me that

shelter a healthier place and though he's issued a directive telling his staff to make sure all strays are taken in, that's just not happening and the buck stops with him. so we'll stay on him. >> thank you, steve. you can take a closer look at the number of animals turned away on our website. we posted a link to steve's story on the homepage of www.wfla.com. now 8 on your side's your vote coverage, the new hampshire primaries with candace candace mccowan -- candace mccowan live in new hampshire. >> news channel 8 political reporter candace mccowan is in the granite state for us tonight at university of new hampshire in durham for this democratic debate. candace, joining us now with the highlights. when i heard secretary clinton demand senator sanders in the smearing, i knew it was game on. >> reporter: yeah.

at this point, keith. good evening. we are here in durham like you said at university of new hampshire that. debate just wrapped up and we have andrea mitchell and crew going through the details breaking down exactly what happened. let me take you through the big highlight today which was a new poll that showed senator bernie sanders had a 2-1 advantage over secretary hillary clinton showing that sanders had 60% support and that hillary clinton only with 30% support here in iowa. now here tonight at the debate it was gloves off as you said, a lot of insults flying both ways. there were plenty of debate topics, but if you listened to senator sanders or secretary clinton lately, you've been hearing a lot about the word progressive, the debate over who's most progressive dominating the stage for a while tonight. >> i don't think it was particularly progressive to vote against the brady bill five times. i don't think it was progressive to vote to give gunmakers and sellers immunity.

progressive to vote against ted kennedy's immigration reform. so we could go back and forth like this, but the fact is most people watching tonight want to know what we've done and what we will do. >> i mean instead of arguing about definitions let's talk about -- >> you began it yesterday with your comments. >> -- let's talk about what we should do and one of the things we should do is not only talk the talk, but walk the walk. >> reporter: yes. so back here in durham at unh happening tomorrow clinton and sanders are back on the ground doing what they really have to, a lot of work to get done. they have to meet face to face with as many of these voters here in new hampshire. to them. so they'll be out working as will their many campaign workers getting in touch with many people they cannot reach. >> i know when i was in iowa a few days ago, you have so many people from florida coming in to help these candidates on

democratic side, campaign workers going at it. have you met some of those folks? >> reporter: absolutely. we were at the airport earlier today and heard some people yelling hey, news channel 8. they were coming up just for this today. tampa mayor bob buckhorn will be up here campaigning for hillary clinton this weekend, several students from st. pete, specifically florida supporters coming out in these campaigns. >> apparently senator marco rubio doing really well in new hampshire and florida governor jeb bush struggling a bit. thank you. candace mccowan live at university of new hampshire in durham tonight and candace will be on the campaign trail through tuesday, next tuesday, when the voting begins there. she will be joining a live rally in support of florida senator marco rubio. she'll bring us up to date on that as well tomorrow night. cases of the zika virus have the bay area on high alert.

when it comes to danger. we have what you need to know. >> also ahead a no drone zone at an upcoming event in the bay area, where the quadcopters will be unwelcome. >> most of the afternoon we've seen rain, but now the changes with the cold front pushing through after rain, it's going to be cool and cool for pay long time, talk about -- a long time, talk about those numbers coming up purchases the new caramel macchiato from dunkin' donuts.

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8 8 on your side is keeping a close eye on the zika virus tonight. right now there are 12 cases across the state and five counties including hillsborough are under a state of emergency.

plain scared tonight. up until the last few weeks many of us had never even heard of the zika virus. >> then we just started hearing so much it got a little confusing of so tonight we are separating the fact from the fiction to help you stay safe. news channel 8's paul mueller joining us live now from tampa. why is there so much confusion about this, paul? >> reporter: keith, there's a whole lot of misconceptions about this. now we know that this is a mosquito borne illness and, of course, mosquitoes love this. it's standing water. of course, this is a perfect place for them to breed. >> we're going to do everything we can to stay lady of the zika virus. >> reporter: 20 -- stay ahead of the zika virus. >> reporter: 20 million residents, 100 million tourists, major hub for international travel, florida, a zika breeding ground. >> we actually understand a lot about this kind of virus. >> reporter: at the scripps research institute in jupiter sciences have been researching zika for quite some time, but with that search for a vaccine comes the need for answers and

comes in with ha you need to know. first -- what you need to know. first, how is it transmitted? mosquitoes. where is it found? in florida, south america, mexico and the caribbean. can it be sexually transmitted? yes. one person got it after having sex with someone who already had it and who is most vulnerable? pregnant women. is there a vaccine or medicine to treat it? the answer, no. what are the symptoms? fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes. you might be asking can it be cured? the answer unfortunately, no, but treatment can help. if you get it, how long could it last? well, it could take days, maybe even weeks. for the governor it's better to be safe then sorry. now he's buying test kits, also getting them from the cdc making sure that we are ready to weather this storm. >> just like in a hurricane what we always say to ourselves is we're going to prepare for

>> reporter: so just how can you protect yourself? well, get rid of all that standing water. put screens on your doors and windows and, of course, keep a lot of this, insect repellant, on hand. >> insect repellant with deet, i'm sure. be clear, no one has contracted this in the united states, not from a mosquito, right? >> reporter: that's important to note, yes, you're right, keith. no one has contracted it here in the u.s. as of right now. of course, officials want to keep it that way. >> paul mueller live in tampa with some good information for us tonight. we appreciate it, paul. for more prevention tips and the information you need to know about the zika virus, led to our website www.wfla.com. sheriff's deputies are out in full force this week to help keep everyone safe at the florida state fair. what happened in 2014 is something deputies still think about and want to prevent from happening again, teen-agers

deputy were forced to eject more than 100 people for bad behavior. tonight dozens of sheriff's deputies were patrolling the midway and will continue to do so during the running of the fair. there's a new joint command center and more security cameras of anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult after 6 p.m. there will be a no drone zone in bradenton during saturday's river regatta. officials are worried the drones could harm the speedboat drivers racing on the water. also the quadcopters could interfere with helicopters flying above looking for manatees. if law enforcement spots a drone, the event will be stopped until it is removed. showers still occurring this hour, quite a few clouds. you can look back to the west and start to see clearing. there is a cold front attached to all. this the showers started later than we thought this afternoon, but the showers have been consistent throughout the rest of the evening hours. back to the west a few light

you can see that break-off line of clouds and showers back west. rain continues across the southeastern sections of polk county, scattered about in sections of manatee, sarasota, hardy, de soto and the highlands. some pretty impressive amounts. the higher amounts are across north and central areas, still some rain around north port, ft. meade and east and south of dundee. the green areas are the higher amounts. we had over 2 inches at the plantation on crystal river. decent amounts of rain in those northern spots. slow warm-up tomorrow, sunshine, maybe a few early clouds. the sun will break out all the way by 3 p.m. and chilly, 60 degrees. add to that a cool wind. clearing skies, jackets needed, 45 degrees to start the day, 45 for a low, 60 in the afternoon, bright blue skies, breezy and

breezy will be a big part of our life in the near future. this morning fall eastman got a great shot, beautiful colors at sunrise, 57 north port. north to south folks across the bay area have felt the impact northwest. in fact, it's 15 degrees cooler in clearwater now than 24 hours ago, 18 degrees cooler at crystal river and down to venice. that cold front is having an impact on temps. winds still gusting over 20 miles per hour at several locations, sarasota, bartow and lakeland. windy conditions are in place tomorrow making it feel cooler. there's the front across most of the bay area just down to the south with that wind switch out of the northwest. this area of high pressure is holding on but finally giving way to this front at the surface. clearer skies to our north and clouds starting to break up across the northern part of the state, panama city starting to see clearer skies, chilly now

as for the rpm forecast-month- old, skies clearing, 40s, wind shift -- forecast model, skies clearing, 40s, winds shifting to the northwest saturday we'll conditions overall. the rain chances are slight during this period. there is a developing area of low pressure. rain chances are fairly low latter saturday into sunday. that will move away and develop off the east coast. the low will help wrap around more cool air and reinforce the chilly conditions. it will just stay there essentially. 45 degrees, big change from this morning and 84 degrees yesterday, rain chances 20% saturday, early part of sunday. otherwise it's just cool, 58 prepare really for the next week for these cooler numbers for those of you who thought in december, well, we'll never see a cool day, there you go. there's lots of cool days for you and the rain chances are slight and the mornings start

jackets. >> it's kind of a nice change, though. >> i like it. coming up the bulls try to get back on track in cincinnati. >> plus is tyler johnson the most important member of the tampa bay lightning? paul ryan shares an interesting stat about johnson's product coming up next in sports. >> plus here's what you'll see tomorrow at 6 a.m. >> reporter: unhappy students don't want to pay back their student loans. i'll show you how they're making their case. >> plus weather and traffic on the 8's on news channel 8

here's what's trending on www.wfla.com, a reptile battle royale caught on camera. two gators got into a battle complex. you can watch the whole thing on our website.

the lightning have had more than their fair share of injuries this season, but one truth has remained constant. when tyler johnson is in the lineup and producing, the bolts

tampa is 6-0 when he scores a goal, 13-2 when he scores a point. one of the goals came last night against the red wings. it was the difference in a 3-1 victory. johnson has been hampered by injuries since breaking his wrist in the playoffs last year missing a baker's dozen games this season. tyler scored just once since thanksgiving before lighting the latch against detroit, but it seems like john -- lamp against detroit, but it seems like johnson said his best hockey for the stretch run. >> i thought it was one of my better games, body physically feels good of that break and everything. so just got to keep building off that and get confidence. >> this isn't as good as i've seen him play, but this is good this year. for as much hockey this kid has played in the last four years and then the injury he had and not being able to train properly with a short summer, it's just almost like he was just behind everybody and since he's come back from his injury with every game he's taken another step and i thought he was outstanding.

basketball team seemed to turn -- florida men's basketball team seemed to turn a corner last week picking up back to back wings, but then a setback with temple. tonight in cincinnati they tried to avoid slipping back tonight. usf come out firing. jamaal mcmurray dials up something from deep scoring a team high 17 points. later mcmurray misses in the corner, but jahleel cousins is there for a putback. the bearcats took a lead into the locker room and opened the 2nd half on a 23-31. troy copane, game high 18 for him. when your day is done and you want to run on, copane, she don't lie copane. cincinnati rolls usf, 88-57 the final. bulls fall to 5-19. finally some love to the

upset in gainesville knocking off 12th ranked texas a&m, 83- 81. the gators are 18-4 overall tied for second in the sec. south carolina still unbeaten up there with uconn. seems like the women's. [ will. [ will come down to -- women's bracket will come down to those two. i do everything on the internet. but it's kind of slow. my friends said i should get but i thought it would be too expensive. (husband) who's that, jenny? no, kate. turns out they have a deal that cost me even less than my

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winning lotto numbers cash 3, 8, 2, 2 , play 4, 3, 2 , 5, 7, fantasy 5, 29, 8, 18, 34, 5. >> and in the morning mr. jerve? >> much cooler, 45. >> that's chilly. >> you just tuning in? >> when you put it up on the big screen, it looks colder. >> it will get up to 60 tomorrow, breezy and cool. yesterday we tied take record of 84. >> it's such -- a record of 84. >> it's such a wild swing. time for the night cap. there's a robot golfer that

the ldric tees up directly and nails it. let's watch it again. full disclosure there. still, pretty cool and it does go in the hole? >> isn't that tiger woods' first real name? >> thanks for joining us. jimmy fallon is coming up next. >> our next newscast at 4 a.m.