Page 62 - Florida Sentinel 2-4-22

Crime
Investigation Into Deaths Of Two Hillsborough County Deputies Underway
Man Jailed After
Detectives are investigat- ing an incident that has left two deputies dead. The inci- dent took place at a vacation rental house in St. Augustine last Saturday. The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office is in- vestigating.
According to the Hillsbor- ough County Sheriff’s Office, the bodies of Deputy Abi- gail Bieber and Detective Daniel Leyden, whose bod- ies were discovered on Satur- day night, January 29, 2022, at a vacation home in the 5300 block of AIA South, in St. Augustine, FL.
While details are still pre- liminary, police said the two deputies were involved in a romantic relationship. They had gone to the facility with other deputies.
Other deputies told police they heard arguing in a bed- room by fellow deputies on vacation with them just prior to the sound of gunshots. Both deputies were discov- ered with fatal gunshot wounds.
The preliminary investi- gation indicates that the gun- shot wound to Detective Leyden appears to be self- inflicted and that he was the sole shooter.
Detective Leyden
worked within the Criminal Investigations Division.
Deputy Bieber, 30, was also a deputy, assigned to Uniform Patrol District
DEPUTY ABIGAIL BIEBER
III. She joined the Sheriff’s Office in February 2018.
She aspired to one day be- come a detective within the Criminal Investigations Divi- sion Special Victims Section. Co-workers also described Deputy Bieber as a young woman with a positive atti- tude who never shied away from tough investigations. She was known for being kind, genuine, caring, and empathetic with the de- meanor of a veteran law en- forcement officer.
Sheriff Chronister said, “Deputy Abigail Bieber was an outstanding law enforcement officer, and by all accounts, an even bet- ter person who left a positive impact on every member of her squad and the countless members of our community who she encountered while on patrol.
“This tragedy has left our
Sheriff’s Office family grief- stricken. There is a void within our hearts that can never be filled, but I hope that Deputy Bieber’s legacy will be the way she lived her life, as a selfless ser- vant.”
Sheriff Chronister also said, “Our Sheriff’s Office family is still reeling from the shock of this unthinkable tragedy. My prayers for strength and comfort are with the families and loved ones of these deputies, and every member of Team HCSO affected by this painful loss.
“Violence is never a solu- tion, and I urge any employee who is dealing with a crisis to take advantage of the many resources our agency has cre- ated over the past several years which include Peer Support, Chaplains, and a clinical psychologist. Help is just a phone call away.”
All the circumstances and facts of this tragedy, includ- ing the motive, remain under investigation by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. The HCSO Peer Support Team, a group of employees who vol- unteer to provide confidential assistance to other employees and their families in times of trauma, is in touch with the immediate colleagues of both deputies involved and avail- able as a resource to all HCSO personnel.
Police have arrested a 24- old man and charged him with interference with child custody. He was arrested at a Michigan hotel with three teenage runaway girls.
According to police, Jeanne Louiral, of Or- lando, is alleged to have transported two 14-year-olds and a 15-year-old girl across the state line.
Police said, on January 24th, a report was filed on a juvenile running away from home with two other run- away girls.
Working in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies, detectives learned the juveniles were traveling with the suspect, Jeannel Louiral, in an unknown vehicle out of state. Through investigative means, officers were able to locate the juve- niles along with Louiral at a
JEANNE LOUIRAL
hotel in Michigan. Detectives obtained an ar-
rest warrant for the suspect, who took the juveniles out of the State of Florida.
Louiral was taken into custody and charged with In- terference with Custody.
The case remains under investigation.
Found At Motel With
Runaway Girls
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office recently concluded a drug investigation. Sixty peo- ple were arrested and war- rants for 8 others have been obtained.
The drug sales transac- tions all took place on three different social media and mobile dating apps: Grindr, Scruff, and Taimi. Grindr was the app with more drug sales than the other apps
mentioned.
The investigation began
in July 2021 when PCSO re- ceived a Heartland Crime Stoppers tip indicating that people were openly selling drugs on the well-known dating app Grindr. PCSO de- tectives created undercover profiles within the app, and found it relatively easy to strike up conversations with those who were selling
methamphetamine, cocaine, Ecstasy, LSD, Fentanyl, and marijuana in Polk County.
Based on the online drug sales, detectives obtained 52 arrest warrants for those who actually sold illegal nar- cotics. During the investiga- tion they arrested 16 other suspects related to illegal narcotics. There are still eight suspects with warrants who are at-large.
Shootout Leaves 1 Dead, 3 In Critical Condition
Undercover Drug Investigation Ends With 68 Arrests
Detectives are investigat- ing a shooting that has left 1 teenager dead and 3 other people in critical condition. The incident took place early Sunday morning.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the shooting took place around 1:13 a. m. in the area of Mar- tin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. and 11th Street, NE in Winter Haven.
Individuals driving in a silver Toyota Camry and a dark colored sedan ex- changed gun fire. All four individuals in the Toyota were shot.
Three of the men are in local hospitals in critical condition. The vic- tims are a 26-year-old Black man, 17-year-old Hispanic male, and 20-year-old Black man. The front-seat passen- ger, an unidentified 20-year-
old Black man did not sur- vive. All are from the Polk County area.
After the shooting, the dark colored vehicle was seen at a local hospital, where one person was dropped off. That person was shot and is in critical condition.
Police have not released any additional information. The investigation is continu- ing.
Anyone who has informa- tion about this shooting is encouraged to call the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 863-298-6200 or Crime Stoppers at www.heartland- crimestoppers.com. If you wish to remain anonymous, or if you would like to receive a cash reward for informa- tion leading to the arrest of a suspect, you can contact Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS.
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