Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 8-30-16 Online Edition

Features
Veteran Police Officer Dies While On Vacation
FRED ARNOLD, III 8/2/1968 to 8/27/2016
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
A veteran of the Tampa Police Department died on Saturday while on vacation. Fred Arnold, III, was 48-years-old.
According to the Lake Mead National Recre- ation Area, the Lake Mead National Recreation Area Interagency Communication Center re- ceived a call at 1:36 p.m., on Saturday, reporting that a diver had surfaced and was unconscious. Emergency personnel responded to the scene, but could not revive the diver.
The diver has been identified as Master Pa- trol Officer Fred Arnold, III, of the Tampa Police Department. The official cause of death
will be determined by the Medical Examiner’s Office.
Officials said Officer Arnold was diving at the submerged B29 site.
Tampa Police Chief Eric Ward said, “We are deeply saddened to share with you that this weekend we lost one of our Tampa Police family members. Master Patrol Officer Fred Arnold, III, passed away during a scuba diving accident.
“Officer Arnold proudly served the com- munity for 27 years and volunteered countless hours to mentoring young teens in our Police Ex- plorer program. He will truly be missed. Please keep Officer Arnold's family and friends in your thoughts.”
Mayor Bob Buckhorn said, “Fred’s entire City of Tampa family is mourning. His service to the City of Tampa was unparalleled and he leaves behind a lasting legacy. I never saw him without a smile and he treated everyone he dealt with that same warmth and respect. My heartfelt condo- lences go out to Fred’s family.”
During his tenure with the department, Arnold had reached the rank of Master Patrol Officer. Master Patrol Officer Arnold had served the Tampa communities as a patrol officer for 27 years. However, his career with the depart- ment began when he became an Explorer.
At the time of his death, Master Patrol Of- ficer Arnold was assigned to Uniform District II and was working in the Tampa Palms area. However, he worked the majority of his career in Uniform District III.
Funeral services for Master Patrol Officer Arnold were incomplete at press time.
Community Activist Urges Residents To Cast Their Votes
Marvin Knight has been active in the community for several years. And, during each election, he encourages residents to cast their ballots.
Knight said, “There is nothing more gratifying than the feeling you get from tak- ing part in the election process. The key to change things is to vote. If you want change, then you have to get out and vote.
“Voting is executive power and by casting your vote, you help determine what goes on in your community. That is why it is important that you vote not only in this election, but in every election.
“We can really make a dif- ference and change the out- come of things that take place in our community. If you have not voted yet, then vote tomorrow. Don’t let the rain or anything else stop you from voting because your vote does matter.”
Knight said the turnout has been good so far, with about 12% of the registered
MARVIN KNIGHT
voters in Hillsborough County casting ballots.
He further stated that many people choose to vote in presidential elections, but fail to vote in local elections. However, he said, “the people who are elected locally are the ones who make decisions about your community.”
According to the Hillsbor- ough County Supervisor of Elections Office, there are currently 812,359 registered voters in Hillsborough County.
Man Gets Nearly 3 Years In Scam That Netted $260,271
Last Friday, a federal judge sentenced a Dade City man to 2 years and 6 months in connection with the theft of social security funds. Offi- cials said he is connected to at least 51 cases. According to officials, Brian Thomas, 39, entered a plea agreement in connection with the crime. He pleaded guilty to theft of government money or prop- erty and conspiracy to com- mit theft of government funds.
Thomas admitted to ob- taining the social security checks designated for legiti- mate recipients and de- posited them into bank accounts in which he had sole control.
He also deposited some of the checks into his business account, 2Xtreme Produc- tions & Management, his pro- duction company. Officials said Thomas is a truck driver and also worked as a disc jockey.
Officials said Louis Gon- zalez, a former employee of the Forrest Hills Post Office, took the checks and passed them on to Indel Mont-
BRIAN THOMAS
... Sentenced to 3 years in prison
fleurry, 32, of Zephyrhills. Montflerry served as the middle man for a group of people who either filed false income tax returns or stolen social security checks.
When Gonzalez took the checks, he gave them to Montfleurry, who then gave them to Thomas to ne- gotiate.
The theft of the checks began in December 2012 and continued until July 2014. The loss to the United States Treasury Department attrib- uted to Thomas is $260,271.73.
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