Page 57 - Florida Sentinel 5-21-21

Crime
‘Person Of Interest’ Being Sought In Murder Case
9-Year-Old Child Injured By Gunfire In Stable Condition
The child was struck by a stray bullet while at the inter- section of E. 30th Avenue and N. 54th Street last Friday.
Police are currently searching for a person of in- terest in a murder. The mur- der took place late Monday night.
According to the Hills- borough County Sheriff’s Of- fice, deputies responded to the parking lot of the Fair- field Inn, 6720 Lakeview Center Drive, shortly before midnight. When they arrived at the scene, they discovered an adult man in the parking lot.
The victim was pro- nounced deceased at the scene. The investigation led detectives to 26-year-old Michael Godfrey Evans, of Lakeland. Now detectives
MICHAEL GODFREY EVANS
want to make contact with
Evans.
He is described as a Black
man, 6’ tall, and weighing 240 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white tank top, gray shorts, and un- known colored slides.
Evans was last seen driv- ing a black, four-door Honda Civic, with Florida tag LVWD26.
Chad Chronister,
Hillsborough County Sheriff said, “Detectives want to talk to Mr. Evans about what he may have heard or saw Mon- day night in the parking lot of the Fairfield Inn. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to con- tact the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, (813) 247- 8200.”
Police are continuing their investigation into a shooting that left a child in- jured. The shooting took place last Friday.
According to the Tampa Police Department, shortly after 8 p.m., a group of peo- ple in the Grant Park area were involved in an alterca- tion that led to an exchange of gunfire. One of the stray bullets struck a 9-year-old child. The unidentified child was conscious and breathing
when transported to a local hospital and admitted.
The latest reports from police was that the child was in stable condition.
Detectives are asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 1-800-873-TIPS, or online at www.crimestop- perstb.com.
The investigation is con- tinuing.
Man Charged With Raping Woman On Street
A 34-year-old man has been arrested and charged with sexual battery. The crime took place on May 7th, in Lakeland.
According to police, Derrick Woodard has been charged with sexual battery, battery, robbery and false im- prisonment.
Officers were dispatched to the America’s Best Motel, 518 Memorial Blvd., E. in Lakeland, shortly before 5:30 a.m., on May 7, 2021.
When the officers arrived, they contacted the victim. The victim, who was crying and partially clothed and told them the suspect had physi- cally attacked her. She was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment.
One of the witnesses told police he heard the victim screaming for help. He lo- cated her at 518 Memorial Blvd., and said the suspect
DERRICK WOODARD
was on top of her actively holding her arms down.
The suspect is alleged to have told the witness the woman was his wife. The wit- ness said he heard the victim tell him to stop several times.
According to the arrest af- fidavit the victim stated she was in the parking lot picking up trash when the defendant walked up to her and grabbed her hand. The victim stated she attempted to pull away and the defendant became ag- gressive with her, accusing her of stealing his money. The
victim stated the defendant grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her onto the ground, becoming increas- ingly more violent.
She stated the defendant used his fingers to penetrate her multiple times, and grabbed her around the throat, impeding her breath- ing. She stated he then pulled her pants down. She stated the defendant also stole her phone and left. She stated the entire encounter lasted ap- proximately 10 to 15 minutes.
According to the affidavit when patrol officers re- sponded to the scene, they de- tained the defendant walking away from the scene. He had in his possession the victim’s shorts and her stolen cell phone. The defendant al- legedly spontaneously stated, “that’s just her pants, just her pants, and her phone, she stole mine.”
UNCLE SANDY
The harder you work for something, 3, 14, 29, 47, 55, the greater you’ll feel when you achieve it, 8, 19, 32, 44, 61.
FRIDAY, MAY 21, 2021 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY PAGE 21-A