Welcome to Tampa: A 43-year-old woman was visiting the Bay area from Orlando and waiting for a bus when she met what she thought was a nice, similarly aged couple. She must have felt quite comfortable with the pair, because she invited them back to her room at the Motel 6 on E. Fowler Avenue. Per the report: "Once inside, the [male] suspect sat on the victim so she could not move and demanded her property. Both suspects then used a phone cord and tied the victim up." After moving the bound woman from the main room to the bathroom, the bandits made off with her cell phone and $180 from her purse. The victim was able to eventually free herself and contact police, but by that time the suspects were long gone.
What Would Jesus Smoke? Back in May, two officers were conducting a follow-up investigation "to a previous incident" at the Living Word Fellowship Church and Day Care. Per the report: "They came in contact with the defendant and found him to be in possession of 16 pieces of crack cocaine and a pipe." The 70-year-old defendant wasn't just a parishioner; he was the pastor and owner of the church. Fr. Crack was arrested and charged with possession of cocaine within 1,000 feet of a church.
Small-time Crooks, Part I: Tampa cops were called to the Interbay Little League fields on S. MacDill Avenue in response to a report of a robbery. It seems someone had broken into the concession stand and made off with over $250 worth of food and candy. Not surprisingly, the officers quickly figured out that the arch criminals were some local juveniles and picked them up before the sweet-tooth bandits were able to devour most of the evidence.
Small-Time Crooks, Part II: The victim in this case approached two officers on E. MLK Boulevard in Tampa and informed them that a man was burglarizing his home. As the cops approached the house, they could see that the perp was still on the porch of the residence wearing a pair of pants and a shirt that belonged to the victim. The man admitted to taking the clothing, said that he'd planned to take more, and was taken into custody. Rather then being returned to its rightful owner, the $65 ensemble was placed into evidence.
From the files of the T.P.D.
This article appears in Jun 27 – Jul 3, 2007.