Crime & Safety

OMG PD: Dogs Killed, Welfare Fraud, Deputies vs. Gator

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

Welfare Fraud Sting Nets 103 Arrests

A welfare fraud investigation has led to arrest warrants for 103 people accused of illegally selling their Electronic Benefit Transfer cards at a discount, often using the money to buy drugs or alcohol, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.

The investigation was sparked by the 2012 arrest of local pizza restaurateur Gerald Millas, 51, who was found to be buying EBT cards for 50 to 60 cents on the dollar and using them to buy food and supplies for his three restaurants in Manatee and Sarasota counties, authorities said.

Mom Charged After Infant Drowns in Bathtub

A North Tampa woman has been arrested and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child after she left her 7-month-old infant inside a bathtub with the water running for at least 15 minutes, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. The child drowned in the tub.

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Deputies say that Sierra McMillan, 22, of 14512 Seaford Circle placed her baby in the bathtub and turned on the water on April 28. When the doorbell rang, she left the baby in the tub with the water running, answered the door and spent time speaking with a solicitor.

Deputies: Man Beat Dog to Death During Burglary

A man is charged with beating a dog to death during a burglary at a Sarasota automotive shop, authorities said Monday.

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The 61-year-old suspect was seen on surveillance video beating the dog with a tire iron at John's Automotive, 1815 Snug Harbor Pl., the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office reports.

The business owner had reported the 4-year-old mastiff, "Ashton," missing on Sunday morning, officials said. Later that day, the owner reviewed surveillance video and saw the beating by a man he later identified as 52-year-old Kevin Koscielniak, an employee who was asked to leave a day earlier after causing a disturbance.

Investigators say Koscielniak climbed over a barbed wire fence, killed the dog, and wrapped it in a blanket. The man cut the fence to the adjacent business, Casey's Auto, dragged the dog onto that property and buried it there, detectives allege.

Deputies: Man Killed Puppies With Shovel

A Pasco County man is accused of killing a litter of pit bull puppies by whacking them with a shovel.

David Thompson went to a mobile home on Catalona Avenue in Moon Lake Estates Friday, April 26 to help his friend Martin Smith move out, according to a Pasco County Sheriff’s Office’s incident report. 

Smith and his father, who also came over to help him move out, got into an argument about what to do with the 8-week-old puppies in the mobile home’s yard. There were also two adult pit bulls there. Smith later told deputies he didn’t have the money to care for the puppies.

Thompson, 21, is now accused of settling the argument in his own way. He told deputies he took a shovel and hit each puppy in the head with it. The force of each strike was enough to kill, the report said.

Email About 'Executing' Planned Parenthood Staff Prompts Police Response

Sarasota Police are investigating a threatening email that a man, identified only as "Henry," sent to a local Planned Parenthood, Sarasota Police told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

"Henry" sent an email to a Christ the King Catholic Church priest asking whether it was in God's plan for "Henry" to kill Planned Parenthood staff, the Herald-Tribune reports.

The priest contacted the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

A man wanted in connection with a March 15 homicide was found hiding in a child's crib and was bitten on the arm by a K-9 before being taken into custody Tuesday, St. Petersburg Police said.

Detectives found Morris Hires, 18, hiding in a child's crib inside his home in the 500 block of 26th Avenue South around 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, officials said.

Hires was tracked down by a police K-9 and was bitten on the arm by the dog during the course of the arrest as he resisted attempts to be taken into custody, police spokesperson Mike Puetz said.

A woman rammed into the rear of another car at a speed of up to 50 mph in an apparent attempt to kill herself and the toddler in the car with her, Clearwater Police said Monday.

The woman intentionally drove into the back of a Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority vehicle shortly after 10:30 a.m. at the intersection of Keene and Druid roads, according to a police spokesperson. 

Tiffany Drake, 39, of St. Petersburg, made comments to responding officers about trying to kill herself and the 2-year-old boy who was with her, police said.

The child was taken to All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg as a precaution and was to be released to a family member, officials said Monday.

Police: Deported Man Returned to Stalk Woman He Sexually Battered

A man who was deported after sexually battering a woman was arrested in Clearwater after authorities say he illegally re-entered the country to find her.

Miguel Angel Gutierrez, 40, was arrested Thursday morning and charged with aggravated stalking.

The 38-year-old victim recently contacted Clearwater Police to report that Gutierrez had returned to the area and was "actively stalking her," a spokesperson said Friday.

Detectives had the victim set up a meeting with Gutierrez in the 2200 block of Gulf to Bay Boulevard, where he was arrested and taken into custody. Once he was booked in Pinellas County Jail, a hold was placed on him by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to police.

Beer Money Brawl Leads to Screwdriver Stabbing

A Largo woman used a screwdriver to stab a victim in an argument over beer money, according to police.

Sara Rivera, 49, got into a fight with the victim about his use of money on a debit card to buy more beer around 6 p.m. April 28, according to Largo Police.

The argument escalated, with Rivera and the victim both hitting each other, Rivera's daughter said in the police report.

During the fight, Rivera picked up a screwdriver and stabbed the victim in the back of the head and right arm, causing minor injuries, according to the investigators.

PHOTOS: Wandering 10-Foot-Long Gator Caught in East Lake

Pinellas County Sheriff's deputies were called out to help capture a 10-foot-long alligator spotted wandering in the parking lot of an East Lake office complex early Tuesday morning.

"They said the gator was snapping at cars in front of the dentist office," said Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Spokesperson Cristen Rensel.

Deputies and officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission used a rope to capture the gator, then Deputy Jeff Crandall wrapped the gator's mouth with duct tape while his partner tied the gator's feet. The alligator was placed in the back of a pickup truck and FWC officers took it away.


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