a 20-thousand dollar piece of art... swiped in st. pete... this morning, the search for the thief behind the heist. and good news if you're driving into tampa this morning, a major detour is over. and the president gets ready to health alert for the zika virus. breaking down what that means for you and your family. welcome to "10 news early morning." i'm ian reitz.. lets get a look at #10weather with meteorologist bobby

right now, st. pete police are pouring through hours of security camera video looking for an art thief. investigators are working to uncover how someone walked into the chihuly collection gallery pete. walked out with a glass sculpture. the director tells kendra conlon sometime between morning... the valuable work of art vanished. gallery director andy schlauch

the "cobalt and lavender piccolo venetian with gilded handles" has been a part of the gorgeous glass... 6 million dollar chihuly collection... pete for more than 5 until it mysteriously turned out to be the gallery's thousand dollar board beneath it... police hope this footprint can the crime. they're also looking at video from at least 3 different cameras to uncover if someone made off with it while the gallery had been open sunday - or somehow got in overnight. detectives aren't ruling out an inside job.. or the possibility the thief scoped out the sculpture. now, they're putting the word out to stop someone from profiting off this priceless piece. the gallery hopes whoever's behind the

returning it for the community to enjoy. in st. pete, kendra conlon, 10 news, wtsp for visitors and the gallery - the art theft is about more than the insured sculpture. it's stealing money from the morean art center... and art education for the community. this isn't the first time chihuly glass has been the target of thieves across the country. head to wtsp dot com to see other crooks who've been busted stealing the expensive art. part of i-275 northbound is back open this morning. it was supposed to be closed between lois and armenia until 5-30 this morning, but it reopened earlier than expected. you should now have an easier commute into tampa--

will be open. all lanes of i-75 are back open this morning. the northbound lanes were shutdown for awhile last night -- after a backhoe hit an overpass during rush hour at overpass road in pasco county. the driver was cited for hauling an over-height load. road warrior hilary zalla will bring you up to speed on all your other travel delays coming up.. beginning at 5. new information this morning.. about the man accused of assaulting a 6-year- old in a mall bathroom. clearwater police say 18-year- old ricky blake thompson turned himself in last night. as 10news reporter courtney robinson explains -- investigators think it was a mistake that took a dangerous turn. monday night officers escorted ricky blake thompson into the pinellas county jail. the 18-year-old is charged with battery for what happened inside of a women's bathroom in macy's. they say thompson was meeting his ex- wife at the mall to

when he went in to the women's restroom rather than the men's. -- 1047 we don't think he had ill intent for that girl or for any person. i think we think it was an honest mistake that really took an unfortunate and terrible turn 57 -- according to officers there was a six-year-old girl in the bathroom at the time. they say she saw him and screamed. -- 954-1004 rob shaw/ clearwater police department "he panicked he freaked out and tried to put his hand over her mouth to get her to calm down. get her to be quiet to not create a commotion well that was not the right thing to do." -- officers say the girl fell to ground and thompson ran. they released this surveillance photo. someone recognized thompson and tipped off police. monday afternoon they say thompson turned himself in. -- shawn wagner / parent 1504 doesn't sound like a simple mistake

vacation is ending early for thousands aboard a royal caribbean cruise ship. the anthem of the seas is returning to its home port in new jersey. it ran into high winds and rough seas in the atlantic ocean sunday -- and people on board called the experience "terrifying." the ship was headed for port canaveral and the bahamas when it got caught in a strong storm off the coast of north carolina. take a look at the damage: ceilings caved in, glass shattered and chairs overturned. now, u-s senator bill nelson wants to know why the ship sailed into intense weather... and is calling for the n-t-s-b to investigate. casey anthony has filed paperwork to open her own photography studio. according to address is listed in

this would be the first business venture for anthony since her she was acquitted of first- degree murder, and since she filed for bankruptcy. the university of central florida is facing a class action suit after a massive "data breach". 63-thousand social security numbers were stolen. a former student-- and a member of u-c- f's board of trustees claim the school knew of the breach as early as december 20-15. time now for headlines around the nation and the world in 60 seconds. today...president barack obama will ask congress for nearly 2-billion dollars in emergency funding to combat the zika virus. the money would support mosquito control programs, vaccine research, education, and improving health care for at-risk communities. the proposal also includes "400-million dollars" in foreign aid...for countries where the virus is spreading rapidly. the first-in-the- nation primary kicked off at midnight in new hampshire. three tiny communities were the first to cast their ballots. yesterday, the presidential candidates were busy campaigning...trying to energize supporters and lure undecided voters before.

hampshire officials say they're expecting a record number of voters today. chipotle restaurants will be back open for lunch today-- after a big push to clean up their kitchens. all two- thousand restaurants nationwide closed for several hours yesterday... to give employees an opportunity to learn about food safety. starting back in october, norovirus and e-coli outbreaks sickened over 100 people in 11 states. florida was not one of them. sunday night, 10 investigates went undercover to expose how tow companies were targeting cars outside bars.... where towing was specifically prohibited by law. not only did it cost a lot of money -- but it also discouraged people from leaving their cars overnight. that could mean more drunk drivers on our roads. 10 investigates' noah pransky continues his reporting...getting action from city

"it's not really just a consumer friendly law.it's also a safety issue." harry cohen is one of the tampa councilmembers sounding off after seeing the 10investigates report. this south howard plaza, in the heart of the city's bar district, has been happy to take your money when you go out at night... then happy to have you towed if you chose not to drive home. their 274 tows last year were the most in the entire city. but the majority of them were illegal! and even more disturbing. for every one car towed out of the lot... dozens of others were driven, by bar- goers who might not have been sober. "we don't want people to drive drunk! and if you can prevent someone from getting behind the wheel because they'll basically have amnesty in terms of their car.that's a good

guido maniscalco, the youngest member of city council, said he was frustrated watching our story. "can we get our car dropped please?" "yeah, it's $57.50." "you don't want a drunk driver on the road. you don't want somebody because out of fear of getting towed they figure 'i live close by and i haven't had too much to drink and i can make it home' and you're putting lives in-danger." cts towing stopped hauling cars out of this lot overnight after we approached them. but bar and restaurant patrons would never know it. the threatening signs are still up.. the fear of towing still exists. and the consumer protection is still a mystery to most. "what can the city do better here to better-publicize that there are these protections?" "one idea i had when i was watching is to make sure it's posted at any establishment that serves alcohol: if you are too inebriated to drive, your car will not be towed." just think what a difference it could make if those signs scaring you about leaving your car overnight. instead welcomed you with the confidence your car would not be towed if you choose another way home. that was noah pransky reporting. both the mayor's

they're currently they're currently looking into the idea of adding signage to let consumers know their cars will be safe. meanwhile, officials in other bay-area cities and counties have told us they're interested in possibly bringing this protection to their communities. noah will have more on that, tonight. parts of the northeast could get more snow today as a winter storm already slammed several areas. it's a problem no one wants to have...one alabama neighborhood is dealing with this massive sinkhole. we are one day closer to the start of baseball season. today the tampa bay rays are getting ready to bring all their equipment to port charlotte for spring training. still ahead, cars crashing because of confusing gear shifts. what you need to know about the investigation now underway for thousands of cars on the road. and the sounds of a basketball game...don't distract one player! his incredible story,

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video of manatees trying to stay warm. this video sent to us by visit citrus.. this is three sisters springs in crystal river. toss to 10 weather xxx bobby weather

basketball has a beat to it... a rhythm to the game... but as 10 sports chris fischer reports -- one special player in lakeland... can't help but tune it

team just finished off a very good season-- playing in to the 2nd round of the playoffs.

championship in his senior season. before you step foot in the water, listen to this.. last year was a record-breaking year for shark attacks.. the international shark attack file at university of florida confirms there were 98 unprovoked attacks in 20-15. the previous record was 88 set in 2,000. for anyone who drives, you probably think that putting your car into park is a simple task. but for thousands of people who own "fiat chrysler cars"-- they say that's not the case. they say these shifters are so confusing that people are getting out of their cars while its still in gear. regulators are investigation into 850-thousand newer the probe involves cherokees-- dodge chargers-- and chrysler 300's. the problem has been linked to 121 crashes and 30 no recall has been ordered. a reminder for your friends.. and your family..

a historic winning powerball ticket.. bought in florida.. has yet to be turned in to lottery headquarters. that means time is running out for someone to claim a 528-million dollar prize. the ticket was bought at a melbourne beach publix. still ahead, a carnival for dogs! the elaborate costumes these canines wore as they competed in the canine carinval dog show. here's a look at what's coming up on 10 news and c-b-s tonight. starting at 8:00, n-c-i-s, followed by n-c-i-s new orleans at 9:00. at 10:00, limitless. then tune in to 10

check out these posh pooches! dressed up as a bartender... a cabaret girl... olaf from frozen... and even al capone! 4-thousand people came out for the "canine carnival" dog show in spain this weekend. the winner was a pup dressed as an egyptian pharaoh.

news this morning.. millions are bracing for cold air and lots of snow as winter storm warnings go up for several states. more people in florida are now insured, what that could mean for your health insurance rates. and a popular beach could soon be going to the dogs. the big decision today by city commissioners in st. pete beach. we'll be back with another look at your weather and traffic, in three

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