Page 10 - Florida Sentinel 11-28-17

Local
Police Patroling Seminole Heights On Horseback
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
This past weekend, the Tampa Police Department began supplementing the patrols in Seminole Heights with officers on horseback. The mounted patrol officers will be working along Florida Avenue and Ne- braska Avenue as well as several side streets in the neighborhoods.
The mounted patrols will spend a limited amount of time north of Hillsborough Avenue along Florida Av- enue. Most of their time will be spent south of
Hillsborough in and around Florida and Ne- braska.
The Seminole Heights area has been the focus of police presence for several weeks. The increase in pa- trols is a result of four deaths police believe are re- lated which began last month.
The first murder oc- curred October 9th. Ben- jamin Edward Mitchell, 22, was walking near N. 15th Street at Frierson Avenue. His body was found near the bus stop.
BENJAMIN MITCHELL Died October 9th
On October 13th, around 9:30 a.m., a city employee found the body of Ms. Monica Caridad Hoffa, 32, in a vacant lot in the 1000 block of East New Or- leans Avenue. She had last been seen walking through the neighborhood on Octo- ber 11th, en route to meet a friend.
On October 19th, shortly before 8 p.m., 20-year-old Anthony Naiboa was walking north on 15th Street in the area of Wilder Avenue when he was killed.
The suspect waited for nearly a month before he took the life of 60-year-old Ronald Felton. Felton
MONICA HOFFA Died October 11th
was near the intersection of N. Nebraska Avenue and E. Caracas, when he was ap- proached from behind. His death is unique in that the killer struck at 4;50 a.m., in- stead of at night as he had in the past.
Reward Offered
The reward for informa- tion pertaining to the four murders in Seminole Heights has increased again. The most recent contributor with a $10,000 donation is David A. Straz, Jr. Straz is a retired banker and pos- sible candidate for the Mayor’s office in 2019.
Last Thursday, Richard Gonzmart, owner, of the
ANTHONY NAIBOA Died October 19th
Columbia and Ulele Restau- rants, added $9,000 to bring the offering to $100,000. The community has donated $6,000.
Law Enforcement contri- butions are: $50,000 from the Federal Bureau of Inves- tigation; $10,000 from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement; $20,000 from ATF (Bureau of Alco- hol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives); and $5,000 from Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay.
The reward is for infor- mation leading to the iden- tification, arrest and conviction of the person re- sponsible for the 4 deaths in
RONALD FELTON Died November 14th
Seminole Heights.
Digital Billboards
In addition to the flyers and word of mouth about the rewards, law enforce- ment has also initiated the use of digital billboards. Currently, the billboards are throughout Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties. They were donated by Clear Channel and Outfront Media.
Anyone with information can report it anonymously and may be eligible for the reward by contacting Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 1- 800-873-TIPS or www.crimestopperstb.com.
Sister Of Seminole Heights Victim Struggles With Another Loss
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Ms. Tina Felton recalls the feeling of loss when she was informed of her brother’s death. In fact, she has just gotten to work at Ybor City Healthcare when she received the telephone call. She didn’t want to be- lieve it.
She soon learned that Ronald Felton had be- come the fourth victim in a string of unsolved homi- cides in Seminole Heights. Felton died during the early morning hours of No- vember 14th.
However, she had no idea that as she mourned the loss of her brother, she would soon suffer another loss. On November 20th, just 6 days later, Ms. Felton went home and discovered that her husband, 54-year-old
Sylvester Penny, had died suddenly.
“I had talked to him and he said he wasn’t going to be home when I got there. When I saw his truck, I asked my son where was his dad? He told me he was probably in the shower.”
Ms. Felton said when she went into the bedroom, her husband’s clothes were laid out. The bathroom door was closed, but she didn’t hear any water running.
“We have been together for 29 years and I just knew that something was not right. I knocked hard on the door and didn’t get an an- swer. I then turned the door knob. I called my son and we had to push the door open. He was lying on the floor. I called 9-1-1 and they worked on him, but they couldn’t revive him.”
Ms. Felton said Penny,
SYLVESTER PENNY September 24, 1963 --- No- vember 20, 2017
was a Tampa native who at- tended the public schools of Hillsborough County. After graduating from Plant High
School, he began pushing one of his two loves --- cook- ing. He worked at various restaurants, but loved work- ing at Bern’s Steakhouse. “He had been there off and on for about 20 years,” she said.
And, his other love was music. Ms. Felton said he loved all kinds of music and had been playing since early adulthood. He and his friends formed the Tampa Funk Band several years ago.
“He loved his music. He was self-taught and could play the lead guitar, the base guitar, drums, everything but the keyboard. The band rehearsed and played at var- ious locations throughout Tampa, including the Blues Ship which was located on 7th Avenue.
“He was planning on playing at my job during the
holidays, but he wanted it to be a surprise.
“When my brother died, he was very supportive. He was with our family and he was making plans to attend the funeral,” she said.
Ms. Felton said Penny, also known as “Pookie,” had been ill the last few months, but had been seen medically. His death was a total shock.
She further stated that he kept his Bible in his truck and read it often, especially while waiting at a location.
“When we got together, I had 6 children and he had 1. It shows you the type of lov- ing person he was. How many men would do that?,” she said.
Funeral services for Mr. Penny were incomplete at press time. Ray Williams is in charge of handling arrangements.
PAGE 10 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2017