When you lose your cat burglar kit, do you ……… ask your friendly neighborhood cop if maybe he’s seen it August 29, 2012

A 47-year-old Pasco man was arrested early Monday after he allegedly dropped a bag containing a digital scale, lock pick kit and gloves, then asked police if they found it.

Kennewick police responding just after 2 a.m. to a fire at a four-plex ran over the small black bag lying in the intersection of First Avenue and Quay Street.

After making sure the building was evacuated, the officer went back and got the bag. When he looked inside, he found the suspicious items.

While standing by at the fire scene, a man later identified as Fred Edward III approached officers and asked if they had found a computer bag that he dropped, police said.

Officers said they found a small bag and Edward reportedly said it belonged to him and described some of the items inside.

When Edward apparently realized the officer knew about the other items, Edward tried to change his story and say the bag didn’t belong to him, police said.

Edward was arrested and when officers searched him, they found a key chain with about 30 to 50 keys. A number of the keys appeared to be shaved, police said.

Edward was booked into the Benton County jail on suspicion of possessing burglary tools.

Cross country team reported man masturbating at a park

It’s a good thing these students were runners.

Bradenton cops responded to a call from a high school cross-country running coach who reported a man sitting inside a Ford Taurus at G.T. Bray Park had exposed himself while masturbating to her students, who were training at the park, according to an arrest report from the Bradenton Police Department.

Police later visited the owner of the Taurus, Eric Eugene Weber, who they had tracked through the license plate number which the coach had given them.

At the police station, Weber reportedly admitted to the cops that he had been at the park, where he had downed a few Coors Light beers and smoked some pot, while sitting inside his car with the engine, radio and AC running — and with the car’s door open.

He also allegedly ‘fessed up to cops that he wore shorts — which were pulled down as he masturbated with his eyes closed, believing he was all alone and wouldn’t be seen or disturbed by anyone, the arrest report stated.

At that point, he told cops that he had heard voices, opened his eyes, then saw the girls running past his car so he decided to split and go home, where he showered and took a nap, the affidavit stated.

Cops charged him with Lewd or Lascivious Exhibition.

Woman threatened to blow up law firm

A 25-year-old woman accused of threatening to “blow up” Sinclair Law Offices was arrested Saturday on a felony charge, according to records obtained Monday and a jail official.

Michelle Nizza, of the 800 block of Southwest Thrift Avenue in Port St. Lucie, was arrested on a charge of threatening to bomb/threatening to discharge a destructive device in connection with the Friday incidents.

The listed address for the Sinclair Law Offices — a firm specializing in medical, hospital and nursing malpractice — is in the 2100 block of Reserve Park Trace in Port St. Lucie.

A man identified by Port St. Lucie police as a victim in the case said he got an email from Nizza at 9:25 a.m. in which she referenced her son being injured.

The victim’s receptionist, also identified as a victim, reported Nizza called 10 times between 1:55 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Some of the calls to the receptionist indicated a desire to speak with the victim. On the seventh call, Nizza is accused of using an ethnic slur, and on the eighth she is accused of saying, “I’m going to blow up Sinclair Law Offices.”

During the ninth call, Nizza is quoted as saying, “Tic, tic, tic, you (expletive), you’re not dead yet?”

Nizza on the 10th call is accused of calling the receptionist an inappropriate name and of threatening to rape her grandchildren.

When police called Nizza, she began screaming “something unintelligible” and hung up.

Nizza was arrested Saturday, and was held Monday in the St. Lucie County jail in lieu of $15,000 bail, a jail official said.

Man who swiped jewelry from Walmart left trail of rings

Charlotte County Sheriff’s detectives arrested a Port Charlotte man Monday for a smash and grab of 33 rings from Wal-Mart in Deep Creek on May 29. Arrested at the Charlotte County Jail was Tyler Ray Kerry, 20, 175 Palmetto Circle on a charge of Grand Theft.

Deputies responded to the Wal-Mart on a report of an unknown white male who came into the store and asked two different store associates to open a jewelry case. They advised him they were not able to open the case; he returned to the jewelry counter, placed a sock over his hand, then pulled out a small hammer from his pocket and smashed the front of the glass case. The subject reached in and removed a display case containing 33 rings. The subject then fled out the store pursued by several associates who saw him running toward I-75. The man climbed over a parking lot fence and got away.

A CCSO deputies located part of the stolen ring display case and several rings in the median of Kings Highway. The deputy later found another part of the display case with nothing in it on the I-75 overpass embankment. Detectives recovered 24 rings that night, and were able to locate eight more that Kerry had pawned May 30 at Gulf Coast Metals in Port Charlotte.

The CCSO Crime Scene responded and swabbed the jewelry display case pieces and took blood samples. The blood was sent to FDLE for DNA testing. CCSO received a report back that found a perfect match for Kerry. Detectives went to the Charlotte County Jail and arrested him. Kerry refused to speak and advised detectives to contact his lawyer.

Kerry has been booked into the County Jail 15 times with 26 records. He’s been in jail since June 24 for a June 20 stabbing on Palmetto Drive near his home. On Aug. 22, detectives went to his jail cell and arrested him on Burglary and Grand Theft charges for breaking into a home on Palmetto Drive and stealing $1,140 in televisions and tools. He was identified by his fingerprints left at that scene. Kerry remains in jail on no bond.

Teacher stole iPad from school, pawned it at Best Buy

Detectives assigned to the Burglary and Pawn Unit began investigating the case in September of 2011 after the I-Pad was reported stolen from Dunedin Middle School. On May 8th, 2012, a routine pawn inquiry by detectives revealed that the I-Pad had been sold to a local Best Buy (on April 26, 2012) for $145 by the suspect,  identified as 34-year-old Julia King.

Detectives continued their investigation and subsequently obtained an arrest warrant for the suspect.  King was arrested at a private residence in Palm Harbor at about 2:20 p.m. on Friday, August 24th, 2012; and transported to the Pinellas County Jail without further incident.

According to deputies, King had been employed as a teacher at Dunedin Middle School; and later transferred to East Lake High School.

The investigation continues.

Fake cop yelled and threatened to arrest people at bar

A man who apparently was intoxicated when he went to a business and told customers he was a police officer and threatened to arrest them was later taken into custody.

Officers received a call Sunday night from an employee at the Suite 306 Lounge at 3131 SW College Road, who said a man entered the building and identified himself as an Ocala Police Department officer, yelled at some people and said he was going to arrest everyone. The man also said he was working an off-duty detail for the next few weeks outside the business.

The man later was identified as Scott Jason Williams.

While Williams was in the lounge, an employee took his photo and sent it to police, who responded that he was not an officer with their agency.

Police came to the area and searched for Williams, who was found at a nearby eatery. When questioned by an officer, he denied being at the lounge but later said he was there and said he had consumed so much alcohol he could not remember what occurred.

Williams was arrested for falsely impersonating an officer and unauthorized use of personal information. With the arrest, his probation for a prior offense was violated. He remains without bond at the Marion County Jail.

“There is absolutely no reason to keep a whole brain for this many years” August 28, 2012

The State Attorney’s Office is investigating whether criminal charges should be filed against a former associate medical examiner after human remains that belong to more than 100 individuals were found in a Pensacola storage unit.

The remains, including hearts, lungs, tissue samples and 10 brains, were found Friday in containers in a unit that had been rented by Michael Berkland at Uncle Bob’s Storage, 195 E. Fairfield Drive, officials said.

Medical Examiner Dr. Andi Minyard said the remains appear to be from private autopsies that Berkland performed. She said based on the remains’ labeling the autopsies were done between 1997 and 2007.

She said it appears the autopsies were done at local funeral homes and in Panama City.

The remains were found after the storage unit was sold during an auction. The buyer alerted a manager at Uncle Bob’s to what was in the unit, and the Pensacola Police Department was called, Minyard said.

“Florida tries to regulate things like improper storage of biomedical waste,” Minyard said. “Out of respect for the families as well, it’s a horrible thing to know that your uncle’s brain is setting in some storage shed that got sold at an auction.”

Berkland could not be reached Monday for comment. Uncle Bob’s Storage would not comment.

Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille said the investigation will include his office meeting with the Police Department. He said his office also will contact the Department of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency to see if any of the agencies’ regulations have been violated.

“As soon this storm situation is cleared out, we are going to sit down and go through this and determine what should be done next,” he said.

Florida does allow private autopsies, Minyard said, but in cases of suspicious deaths and homicides autopsies should be performed by her office.

Berkland worked for the Medical Examiner’s Office between 1997 to 2003. He was fired in May 2003 for keeping a large backlog of cases and failing to complete autopsy reports in a timely manner.

Police encircle group of dancing protesters on the road at RNC, then let them go after they say they’ll go to a nightclub instead

Police encircled a group of protesters about midnight Monday at an Ybor City intersection and prodded them to return to Centennial Park where the demonstration began.

More than 100 people gathered for a protest dance party at the park on E Eighth Avenue, but then began to march through Ybor City.

Officers, dressed in khaki and some riding police bicycles, followed.

The protesters clustered at Seventh Avenue and Angel Oliva Senior Street, which is near the Italian Club, dancing to music from a boom box.

Police appeared to be encouraging the group to return to the park, but some of the protesters were suggesting they would go to a nightclub instead.

Later, they did just that.

Alert! Garage sale robbers on the loose.

A woman was roughed up and robbed of the money she made at her own garage sale in the 2700 block of 36th Avenue West.

The hold-up occurred at 3:45 p.m. Saturday, according to a Manatee County Sheriff’s Office report.

The 41-year-old victim told deputies that she was packing up after her garage sale had netted her $93 when two suspects arrived and demanded she give them all the money she made, a report states.

The woman suffered abrasions and bruises during the incident, the report states.

The robbers also took some of her unsold items.

The victim at first did not call 911, fearing retaliation, but was urged to call an hour later, according to the report.

Sex sting at beach park nets 4 arrests, including an 80-year-old

While most of Florida was anxiously watching Tropical Storm Isaac’s projected track on Friday, four more guys were apparently looking for any port in a storm.

The men were busted for exposing themselves in an attempt to engage in sex with undercover deputies on the trails at Caspersen Beach Park in Venice, according to a news release from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

And the undercover deputies were hot on their trails.

The men, Glenn Orthaus, 48, of San Antonio TX;  John L. Clark, 48, of Venice;  David Hoffa, 74, of  Englewood, and Daniel Sukel, 80, of Venice, all reportedly sought undercover deputies for sex along the park’s many trails.

Before Orthaus allegedly exposed himself, he asked the man he encountered along a trail if he were a cop. When the undercover deputy told him ‘no, Orthaus then allegedly exposed himself to the deputy, according to the arrest affidavit from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

Tip: Undercover agents usually do not admit to being lawmen.

Daniel P. Sukel, 80, approached the undercover detective at a picnic table near a canoe launch wearing a yellow polo shirt and black brief undies, asking the detective if he was the type of person who liked to talk — or liked to play — at the park, the record stated.

When the detective answered ‘play,” Sukel reportedly said he was was going hiking down a trail.

He should have just taken a hike.

When the detective asked him Sukel if he wanted company, Sukel invited the him to join him.

Upon reaching a more heavily wooded area of the trail, the detective then asked Sukel if he liked to play, according to the affidavit.

Sukel replied “Yeah, sure. Men, women, it doesn’t matter,” before exposing himself to the detective,  according to the affidavit.