Page 29 - 5-22-15 Friday's Edition

Crime
Police Search For Armed Man Who Robbed Drive-Thru
Republican Defeats Jacksonville’s First Black Mayor
On Wednesday evening, Tampa Police were searching for a suspect who reportedly robbed a drive-through store on Florida Avenue in Seminole Heights.
Police were called to the Florida Drive-In Store, 6505 North Florida Avenue, after a young man in his late teens or early 20s allegedly flashed a hand-
gun and demanded money from the clerk just be- fore 10 p. m. The suspect then ran away with the cash.
Police set up a perimeter along Florida Avenue and the surrounding side streets, but were unable to locate the suspect. The suspect is described as a light complexioned Hispanic male, 5’9” tall.
Jacksonville, FL -- Mayor Alvin Brown addressed the crowd at the Democratic watch party at the Jacksonville Landing just minutes after he called Lenny Curry to con- cede the election.
Police Search For Sex Crime Suspect
Police in Lakeland are look- ing for a man who allegedly tried to kidnap and sexually as- sault a jogger Tuesday, and is suspected of performing lewd acts in public.
Police said after midnight Tuesday, a 22-year-old woman told police she was jogging on the path around Lake Hollingsworth when she saw a man running up behind her. The suspect reportedly grabbed the woman from behind, dragged her off the pathway into a small wooded area, threw her to the ground and tried to remove her shorts.
Police reported that the vic- tim began talking to the suspect to divert his attention and it worked.
a Black male in his mid-20s, 5’5” tall with a medium build with his hair in braids and wearing a black durag. He was not wearing a shirt and was wearing black sweat pants and white socks with gold writing on the toe.
Police said their suspect may be the same person who performed lewd acts about 9:35 a. m. Wednesday in the area of Lake Hollingsworth and Melton Avenue. In that case, a witness said a Black male sitting on a bench in front of Florida South- ern College appeared to be watching females walk the lake on the jogging path.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Paula Tolbert at (863) 834-8981.
Jacksonville’s mayor Alvin Brown was defeated by Republican Lenny Curry.
Sketch of suspect in sex crimes.
The suspect and the victim got up and walked back to the path as the victim continued to engage the suspect in conversa- tion.
The victim was then able to flee and call 9-1-1. The suspect fled in the opposite direction.
The suspect is described as
“God bless you,” he says.
He also thanks his campaign team.
Brown was defeated by Lenny Curry, the Jacksonville busi-
nessman-turned chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, Tues- day, only the second time in recent history a sitting mayor has lost re-election.
Brown was
greeted by big
cheers. He con-
gratulates Curry on his victory and thanks his family, pastor, sup- porters and volunteers.
High Court May Review Case On Sentencing For Young Offenders
LAISHA LANDRUM
Because of a grey area in the law, some who were convicted of first-degree murder have bet- ter chances of one day getting out of prison than some who were convicted of the less seri- ous offense of second-degree murder.
On Wednesday, ruling in a case from Tampa, the Second District Court of Appeal asked the State Supreme Court to ad- dress the apparent sentencing anomaly involving inmates who were juveniles when they com- mitted murder.
The case under review in- volves Laisha Landrum, who was sentenced to life in prison on a second-degree murder charge when she was 17. She was accused of taking part in the murder of her boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend, Emily Clemons.
Clemons was the former girlfriend of Rocky Almes- tica, Jr., who was 16 at the time of the murder.
ROCKY ALMESTICA, JR. Landrum reportedly gave
birth to Almestica’s daughter and the two lived together. Clemons had reportedly been seeing Almestica without Landrum’s knowledge.
According to court records, Landrum threatened Clemons by telling her to stay away from her man or she’d kill her.
According to court records, Landrum and Almestica lured Clemons to the Amaretto Apartments on North 22nd Street on June 9, 2004. At that location, detectives said Lan- drum and Almestica beat Clemons, wrapped her body in a blanket and tossed her in a dumpster.
Neighbors called 9-1-1 when they heard Clemons kicking and moaning from inside the dumpster. She was barely alive, and later died at the hospital.
The attorney representing Landrum said that Landrum
EMILY CLEMONS struck Clemons in self defense,
and that it was Almestica who delivered the blows with steel pots, a hammer, and maybe a boombox.
Six years after Landrum was sentenced, the U. S. Supreme Court banned manda- tory life sentences for juveniles convicted of murder. The court allowed life sentences to be im- posed, but only after hearings in which judges took into consid- eration such things as the ways juveniles are developmentally different than adults and the prospects for rehabilitation.
Last year, the Legislature enacted changes in the law re- quiring such hearings for all ju- veniles who face possible life sentences for killings or at- tempted killings. However, those changes have not been ruled retroactive.
Landrum, now 28, has filed a petition to have her sen- tenced reviewed.
National
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