Page 19 - Florida Sentinel 8-1-17

National
Jury Convicts Men On Drug Trafficking Charges
USF Police Investigate Sexual Battery
The University of South Florida Police Department is currently investigating a sex- ual battery. The incident re- portedly took place last Saturday morning.
According to police, the in- cident allegedly took place be- tween 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., at the Greek Village, Building J. The
victim and suspect were re- portedly attending a party held at the location. The vic- tim reported the incident at approximately 1 p.m., Satur- day.
Police have initiated an in- vestigation. However, no ar- rests have been made and no additional information was available at press time.
Armed Suspect Who Robbed Victim On The Street Sought
A jury has found three men guilty of conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine last Friday. Each man faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 25 years to life in federal prison.
According to the U. S. At- torney’s Office, a Fort Myers jury found Brown Laster, Jr., also known as “AB” and “Rooster;” Jerry Browdy, 44, of Riverview, also known as “JB,” “Red,” and “Cuz;” and Wesley Petiphar, 30, of Dav- enport, also known as “Wild- man,” guilty.
They are scheduled to be sentenced October 30, 2017.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Laster, Browdy, and Petiphar were part of a con- spiracy to ship kilograms of methamphetamine from Sacra- mento, California to various hotels in Florida and Georgia via Federal Express.
The evidence showed that, throughout 2015, the men had sent approximately 40 pack- ages of methamphetamine through the mail per week. The packages were delivered to co-
JERRY BROWDY
conspirators who had been re- cruited to wait at the hotels for the packages of methampheta- mine to arrive.
The packages were then de- livered to local drug traffickers. In addition, witness testimony revealed that the men enforced the conspiracy through vio- lence, including one incident where a cooperating witness had a gun placed in his mouth with such force that the gun knocked out some of his front teeth.
ARMED ROBBERY SUSPECT
A 44-year-old man pleaded guilty to armed robbery in fed- eral court on Wednesday. The case was investigated by the St. Petersburg Police Department and the Bureau of Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. A sentencing date has not been established.
Patrick D. Cummings, of Pinellas County, pleaded guilty to interference with commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm during the commission of a violent crime.
According to court docu- ments, at 4:09 a.m. on March 24, 2017, Cummings entered a Walgreens Pharmacy in St. Petersburg. He reportedly pressed a handgun against a cashier and demanded all of the money in her register. Dur- ing the commission of the crime, he reportedly repeatedly threatened to shoot the cashier. He fled the store with $374.
Cummings was arrested and charged on April 26, 2017.
Police are currently search- ing for a man who robbed a victim walking down the street. The robbery took place on July 17th, around 6:15 p.m., in Plant City.
According to the Plant City Police Department, the victim was walking down the street when he was approached by a Black man. The encounter took place in the 1800 block of Alabama Street.
The suspect reportedly asked the victim if he was a “gang banger,” then pulled a silver revolver with black grips from a black leather shoulder bag he was carrying. The sus- pect then demanded the vic- tim’s Golden State Warriors hat. He then fled the scene.
The suspect is described as being a Black man in his 30s. He stands 5’7” and weighs ap- proximately 220 pounds. He has a dark complexion and a muscular build.
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $3,000 for in- formation on the suspect. Anyone with information about the incident can contact Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 1-800-873-TIPS or www.crimestopperstb.com.
PATRICK D. CUMMINGS
In addition to facing a max- imum of 20 years in prison on the robbery charge, he will also be required to serve a mini- mum mandatory consecutive prison sentence of seven years to life on the firearm charge.
Man Facing Charges In Theft Of Laptops
A 40-year-old Tampa man was arrested last Thursday and charged in connection with a string of burglaries. He was taken into custody after an em- ployee recognized him from a police bulletin.
According to police, Robert Lee McFadden was wearing the same clothing and hat shown on a photograph cir- culating in the areas where the thefts occurred.
Police said several busi- nesses in downtown and the Westshore areas had taken place in the past two weeks. During those offenses, elec- tronics were taken.
A burglary was reported at an office building at 4890 W. Kennedy Blvd., on July 20th. During the burglary three lap- tops and an iPhone were taken.
The employee observed Mc- Fadden leaving an office building at 4111 W. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd., and alerted police. Police encoun- tered McFadden at the inter- section of Dr. M. L. King, Jr., Blvd., and MacDill Avenue. He was taken without any inci-
ROBERT LEE MCFADDEN
dent.
He was transported to the
Hillsborough County Jail, where he was charged with burglary, grand theft, and pro- viding a false name to law en- forcement.
He is currently being held on a $16,000 bond. However, police said the investigation is continuing and additional charges are pending.
UNCLE SANDY SAYS...
A true friend 11, 18, 38, 41 is someone who thinks that you are 23, 27, 44, 45 a good egg even though he knows 3, 8, 10, 15 that you are slightly cracked. 19, 40, 54, 58.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2017 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 19
Man Pleads Guilty To Armed Robbery