Page 34 - 6-10-16 Friday's Edition

Crime
Armed Robbery Suspect Sought
Man Accused Of Trying To Buy House,
Cars With Brother’s ID
A 45-year-old man was ar- rested on May 27th, and charged with attempting to purchase a car using his brother’s identification. Police learned about the incident after being contacted by a St. Peters- burg Car Dealership.
A spokesperson for the Pinel- las County Sheriff’s Office said Stephon N. Patton pur- chased a vehicle from the deal- ership on May 26th, and was slated to return to sign the final documents the next day. How- ever, when the credit report re- turned, there was a fraud alert attached to the report. The dealership then contacted po- lice.
When Stephon Patton re- turned to the dealership the following day, May 27th, He was arrested.
The Economic Crimes De- tectives of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office then launched an investigation. Detectives learned that the identification used was in the name of 48- year-old Steven N. Patton, the defendant’s brother.
Detectives learned during their investigation that during the course of a month, Patton had attempted to purchase a home, a Harley Davidson mo- torcycle, two jet skis, and two
STEPHON N. PATTON
... Facing 3 counts of identity theft
other cars using his older brother’s identification. They said he also attempted to pur- chase insurance for four addi- tional vehicles as well.
Stephon Patton was charged with 1 count of issuing a worthless check and 3 counts of fraudulent use of personal identification information.
Detectives believe there may be additional businesses that were victimized by Patton, and their investigation is con- tinuing.
Anyone with any information about the case is asked to con- tact Detective Kurt Frazho at the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, at (727) 582-6200.
Police Need Help To Find Fugitives
Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay has selected five fugitives to highlight this month as law enforcement is asking for the public’s assistance to get them in custody.
Chavez Strawberry Dyer, 22, is wanted by the Pasco County Sheriff’ Office for Shooting Into An Occupied Dwelling.
Keuris Amir Santos, 30, is wanted by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (since 2003) for second-degree mur- der and discharging a firearm in public.
Mario Hubert Scott, 23, is wanted by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office for at- tempted first-degree murder, shooting into an occupied con-
veyance, two counts of armed robbery with a firearm, armed burglary of a conveyance, FTA tampering with physical evi- dence, FTA possession of mar- ijuana, and FTA no valid driver’s license.
Andrae Jose Smith, 35, wanted by the Tampa Police Department for Aggravated As- sault with a firearm and by the Florida Department of Correc- tions for violation of probation.
Contact Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-873-8477, report anonymously online at www.crimetopperstb.com, or send a mobile tip using their P3 Tips Mobile Application. Crime Stoppers must be contacted first in order to be eligible for a cash reward.
The Hillsborough County Sher- iff’s Office reports that on June 7th at 1:19 p.m., a man armed with a handgun, entered Ad- vanced Auto Parts, 1029 Bloom- ingdale Avenue. He immediately walked behind the parts counter and confronted the store man- ager.
The suspect reportedly forced the manager and a co-worker to open the safe and two cash reg- isters and put cash into a plastic bag. The suspect then ran out of the store and got into a vehicle that was waiting outside with a driver.
Witnesses reported seeing an older model, light blue/gray Honda, possibly a 2-door Civic, fleeing the scene.
The suspect is described as a Black or dark-complexioned His- panic male, 25-to-35-years-old, 5’10” tall and weighing 190 pounds. The suspect weapon was described as a nickel-plated handgun, possibly a .380 or 9mm.
Anyone with any information is asked to call (813) 247-8200, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873- 8477.
CHAVEZ STRAWBERRY DYER KEURIS AMIR SANTOS
MARIO HUBERT SCOTT ANDRAE JOSE SMITH
Wrong Way Driver Crashes With Toddler In Vehicle
On Mon- day, June 6th, two Hillsborough County Sher- iff’s Office deputies were travel- ing north in the inside lane of 50th Street in the
CRYSTAL PALACIOS
area of Habersham Lane in an unmarked Ford F-250 pickup truck. They spotted a small sedan approaching them, driving southbound in the northbound lane of 50th Street.
The deputies evaded the on- coming vehicle to avoid a colli- sion, and as a result, the passenger rear corner of the pickup truck hit a small blue pickup that was in the outside northbound lane of 50th Street.
The deputies stopped to check on the driver of the pickup truck and after confirming the driver was not injured, the made a u- turn and caught up to the small sedan as it was approaching 50th Street and Causeway Boulevard. They conducted a traffic stop on the small sedan and after making contact with the driver, identi- fied as Crystal Palacios, 31, deputies said they saw several signs that she was impaired. They also noticed a small toddler in the vehicle.
A Child Protection Investiga- tor arrived and took custody of the toddler. Palacios was ar- rested and charged with DUI. It was also reported that she has several suspensions of her dri- ver’s license for prior DUI of- fenses.
Deputies said additional charges are pending against Palacios.
Credit Card Fraud Charge Nets Man 4 Years In Prison
A U. S. District Judge sen- tenced a 41-year-old man to 4 years in federal prison. He pleaded guilty to credit card fraud charges on October 29, 2015.
District Judge James D. Whittemore also ordered Kevin Wain to pay $585,028.99 to approximately 48 financial institutions af- fected by the crime.
According to court docu- ments, beginning around Sep- tember 20, 2012, through and including the date of is arrest in June 2015, Wain engaged in a multi-state scheme to use counterfeit credit cards to buy high-end house wares. He then sold the products on eBay for cash.
He reportedly used credit cards from several financial in- stitutions without the account- holder’s knowledge or permission.
During the investigation, de- tectives discovered that Wain had eBay and PayPal accounts listed in his name and address. The profits from the sales were deposited into bank accounts that Wain had opened.
Investigators said that be-
KEVIN WAIN
tween May 2010 when the ac- count opened and the time of his arrest approximately $881.143 in payments from selling items online had been deposited into the account.
Officials said Wain operated the scheme near his home in Tampa, but also as far away as Texas and Illinois. Officials said they have identified more than $585,000 in purchases by Wain at Williams Sonoma, and Bed, Bath, & Beyond using counterfeit credit cards. The account information used on the cards involved more than 125 victims.
UNCLE SANDY SAYS...
A real friend 7, 10, 31, 38 is one who walks in 20, 25, 28, 39 when the rest of the world 5, 40, 43, 50 walks out. 11, 26, 54, 58
FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 23-A