Crime & Safety

OMG PD: Naked Woman on Road; 'You've Just Been Robbed,' Says Robber

We compile the odd, unusual and the "oh my gosh" police items from throughout the Tampa Bay region.

'You've Just Been Robbed,' Suspect Says to Woman

A woman was robbed in the parking lot of a Tampa park after a man fired a gun in the air on Sunday morning, according to the Tampa Police Department.

Around 2:37 a.m. on Sunday, a group of "racers" gathered in the parking lot of Friendship Bridge Park, 5100 Gandy Blvd. W., according to police. A man wearing a ski mask appeared in a white or silver Lincoln Navigator, got out and fired a few rounds into the air, police say.

Most of the people in the group ran away from him, but a woman in the group didn't know the sounds were from a gun, so she didn't move, police say.

The man approached her, pointed a gun at her and demanded she give him her jewelry, police say.

She gave him five rings valued at $10 each, police say. Then, the man told her, "You've just been robbed," got into a black sedan, and fled.

Police: Elderly Man Solicited Teens for Sex Near School

A Bradenton man was arrested Tuesday after he unknowingly told an undercover detective posing as 15-year-old boy that he wanted to meet him for sex, according to the Bradenton Police Department.

Raymond Robarge, 71, 5100 block of 14th Street West, was charged with travelling to meet a minor to have sex and using a computer device to seduce or solicit a child after he allegedly described sexual acts he planned to perform on the juvenile via phone conversation and text.

The BPD began investigating Robarge on July 18, in reference to a complaint from two juveniles that an unknown elderly man had approached them near Ballard Elementary School in Bradenton and offered them money to have sex with him. He reportedly gave them his cell phone number even though they told him to leave them alone.

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Resort Employee Charged with Grand Theft

A 27-year-old man working at the Lido Beach Resort in Sarasota was arrested Wednesday after he allegedly stole a valuable luggage from a customer, according to the Sarasota Police Department.

Ramon Colon-Estrada, 27, 3500 block of Chinaberry Lane, Sarasota, was charged with felony grand theft after he took a bag containing approximately $10,000 worth of items from the car of an Ohio woman just before his started his shift at the resort, according to the report.

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Woman Spotted Naked on Holiday Road

A woman found naked on a road in Holiday was arrested after a state trooper found she had two warrants out for her arrest.

The Florida Highway Patrol trooper was driving west on Moog Road on Monday, July 22 when he saw the fully naked woman, along with a man who was wearing clothes, according to an FHP arrest report.

The man, who said he was her husband, told authorities she had been clothed when they walked to a 7-Eleven but had stripped on the way home for no reason. 

In addition to being charged with indecent exposure, the woman, 20-year-old Bryanna Leeza Marie Westbrook, had two Pinellas County warrants out on her for failing to appear in court on charges of failing to return hired or leased property.     

Rifle, Armor Stolen From FBI Agent's Vehicle

Two teens picked the wrong vehicle to break into.

The pair are accused of breaking into a vehicle that belongs to a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent and made off with a black MP5 rifle, bulletproof body armor and several rounds of ammunition valued at more than $300, according to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.

That vehicle was parked at an undisclosed residence in Wesley Chapel. Authorities said the crime occurred between 10 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday.

Arrested were Raymond Cano, 18, whose is listed by authorities as homeless, and a 16-year-old juvenile. They were each charged with armed burglary and grand theft.

New Details As Pro Wrestler Arrested In Stabbing Case

A former professional wrestler has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend after Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies say he stabbed his former girlfriend to death at her apartment complex.

Brian Michael McGhee, also known by his wrestling name "The Future" Donovan Ruddick, was taken into custody after fleeing to Pasco County according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Just before 8:30 p.m., the Sheriff's Office received a 911 call about a stabbing happening at 8451 Del Lago Circle in Tampa. When deputies arrived on the scene they say they found Bianca McGaughey, 25, laying on the sidewalk. She had been stabbed multiple times in her torso and her neck, the Sheriff's Office wrote in an email to Patch. McGaughey was pronounced dead at the scene.

Would-Be Thief Cuts Hole in Wall to Enter Jewelry Store

A burglar or burglars found a unique way to access a New Tampa jewelry store Saturday.

Instead of going through the front door of  Leyva Jewelry, 19020 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., one or more suspects cut a hole in the drywall of Little Greek, which is adjacent to the jewelry store and under construction, according to the Tampa Police Department.

Once the suspect(s) were inside Leyva Jewelry, a silent alarm triggered contact with police and the owner of the business, a police report states.

Officers were on the scene within three minutes, which was enough time for the suspect(s) to flee without stealing anything, according to the report.


Stolen Baby Shower Gifts, Crack Pipe Land Woman in Jail

A Clearwater woman was arrested after attempting to take about $125 in merchandise from a Bealls Outlet in Tarpon Springs and having a crack pipe in her pocket, authorities said.

According to Tarpon Springs Police officers, the July 21 theft attempt took place because Mary Howard, 60, was headed to a baby shower and needed gifts. 


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