Port Richey mayor arrested, shots fired at SWAT team at his home

Port Richey Mayor Dale Massad was arrested this morning at his home after shots were fired at the SWAT team there to serve a warrant.

According to a breaking story at WFTS, the team was there to take Massad into custody on charges of practicing medicine without a license — Massad relinquished his license more than 15 years ago — when they were fired upon. The authorities did not return fire, and the shooter was taken into custody without incident; the story doesn't say who did the firing, but Massad was arrested, and reportedly not charged with anything other than the original medically related charge.

A July 2018 article laid out the mayor's history of difficulty with cops, from dozens of 911 calls and homeless people living on his property to guns being discharged and a convicted prostitute being arrested multiple times for battering Massad. At the time, the police had been to Massad's house some four dozen times, but Massad had never been arrested.

This article appears in Feb 21-28, 2019.