Fingerprint on Stolen Scratch-Offs Foils Munchee's Robbery Suspect
Pinellas County Sheriff's detectives say a man robbed a Dunedin convenience store three times within the past month, including a Feb. 7 smash-and-grab burglary in which he allegedly took 100 scratch-off lottery tickets.
A fingerprint lifted from a stolen lottery ticket helped link Palm Harbor's Trevor David Winsett, 24, to the robberies at Munchee's.
Detectives say Winsett gave the lottery tickets to his brother to repay a debt. Winsett's brother went with his girlfriend to cash the winning tickets a few hours later at a Palm Harbor 7-Eleven, authorities said.
U.S. Marshal Accidentally Shoots Self
A deputy U.S. Marshal suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound when a gun accidentally went off at the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office shooting range in St. Petersburg, authorities said Wednesday.
A group of U.S. Marshals Service employees were conducting shooting exercises when the gun went off, officials said. The deputy marshal, whose name was not released due to the officer's current work assignment, was shot in the upper leg and was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.
A St. Petersburg tattoo shop owner was arrested Thursday after police say they found 30 guns, drugs, survival gear and cash inside his home after they received a tip from a concerned citizen.
Investigators found a fully automatic rifle, two sawed-off shotguns, several assault weapons, semi-automatic rifles and handguns, according to a news release.
Among the other items seized: several bullet resistant vests, one Kevlar body suit, bullet-resistant helmets, gas masks, numerous survival knives, 9.5 grams of powder cocaine, 216 grams of marijuana and $7,390.00 in cash.
A man is behind bars after authorities say he walked into a Lutz Walmart wearing a tactical vest labeled "Police" then tried to make off with $200 headphones.
According to a Pasco County arrest report, John Vazquez, 26, of Wesley Chapel was first observed "passed out" in the Lutz Walmart restroom wearing the vest.
He was later seen re-entering the store wearing the vest and a black leather gun belt and then tried to walk out with the headphone set and a pair of Sony earbuds without paying for them, the report states.
When questioned by a loss prevention officer, Vazquez reportedly first said he was a law enforcement officer. He later said the vest and gun belt belonged to his father and he was using them to impress a woman, the report stated.
Two students at Mitchell High School in Pasco County were arrested recently after a video of one of them allegedly beating the other popped up online.
During a ride on a school bus last Friday afternoon, a 17-year-old girl allegedly got up from her seat on the bus and then started striking a 16-year-old girl, according to an arrest report.
Another girl, 16, recorded video of the incident, deputies say, and it landed on Facebook and elsewhere on the Internet.
The girl accused of throwing punches and the girl who allegedly shot the video were each charged with misdemeanors.
11-Year-Old Charged in Serial Arson Case
An 11-year-old boy faces six felony arson fires related to a string of incidents in a New Port Richey neighborhood.
Since July 2011, the New Port Richey Police Department has responded to 11 fires near the same block of Indiana Avenue.
Investigators identified a pattern that led them to the 11-year-old suspect, who admitted to lighting at least one house on fire, as well as other objects. The boy told a detective he used many things to start the fires, including a magnifying glass and a battery.
He was booked into the Juvenile Detention Center.
it took two robbery and homicide detectives to solve this case OH No It only took I scared young girl . Really? Just a question? Is this actionable or do we just chalk it up to Detectives violating people's rights because their either in a hurry to solve the case or they,re stupid Take your pick