THE BARTER SYSTEM: A man went to the Central Park area to buy some cocaine. There he met with his dealer and learned that he did not bring enough money. The two men came to an agreement that the buyer would trade marijuana he had at home for the cocaine. The two men then drove to the buyer's house where the coke dealer waited outside while his client grabbed the pot. When the buyer returned, the dealer "was not happy with the amount and the two argued. [The dealer] produced a handgun, pointed at the victim and demanded more marijuana." Despite the criminal nature of the meeting, the buyer ran back into the house and called police, who arrested the coke dealer, who was still in possession of the handgun.
HOODWINKED: This report begins with the action already under way. "On this date [July 9] at approx. 1335 Hrs, the Def[endant] told the victim who was seated on the hood of her vehicle to get off." The report never clears up exactly why the victim was perched on the hood, but what is clear is that he should have followed the Defendant's request. The report continues, "The Def. then abruptly drove away with the victim still on the hood. The victim yelled for the Def. to stop, but she refused whereby the victim attempted to jump from the vehicle." Bad idea. The victim was thrown under the car and dragged 20 feet. The victim sustained some pretty serious injuries and had to be taken to Tampa General, where he was listed in stable condition. The driver was charged with reckless driving, no valid drivers license and culpable negligence.
SO SMART THEY'RE STUPID: The thieves in this case thought of almost everything. On July 9th, three men broke into Electric Supply of Tampa. With them they carried a hack saw and pry tools. Once on the scene, the robbers gained entry by going "through a steel wall." They then removed 69 coils of copper valued at just over $13,000 to the outside of the building. Unfortunately for the men, their white 1994 Mercury Marquis was not ideal for the job. The men crammed 42 of the rolls into the car and then fled the scene, the weight of the copper "causing their rear bumper to drag inches from the road." Patrol units intercepted the vehicle as it was leaving the scene and attempted an unsuccessful traffic stop. With their Marquis so weighed down, however, the men could not get far and were apprehended a short while later with the copper still in the trunk.
From the files of the T.P.D.
This article appears in Jul 26 – Aug 1, 2006.