Page 37 - Florida Sentinel 4-23-21

Crime
Man Charged
Human Trafficking Operation Results In 79 Arrests
With Town N’
Country Murder
Detectives have arrested a man in connection with a murder. The murder took place last week in Town ‘N’ Country.
According to the Hillsbor- ough County Sheriff’s Office, on Tuesday, April 13, deputies were dispatched to the area of W. Clifton Street and South- ern Comfort Blvd., at approx- imately 1:45 p.m. When they arrived, they located an in- jured adult male in a grassy lot of a residence. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
A day later, the Hillsbor- ough County Medical Exam- iner’s Office ruled the cause of death to be a homicide.
Detectives continued to gather physical evidence, as well as surveillance footage and witness statements. Andy Dominguez-Her-
JASON BROOKS
JAMEL MULDREW
RUSTY HARDEN
CHRISTOPHER
ANDY DOMINGUEZ- HERNANDEZ
nandez, 38, was identified as the suspect in this case.
He was arrested on Wednesday, April 14, and has been charged with second-de- gree murder with a weapon, tampering with physical evi- dence, and driving with li- cense cancelled, suspended, or revoked.
An undercover operation into human trafficking has re- sulted in the arrests of 79 peo- ple. Detectives with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrested 79 men as part of a week-long anti-human trafficking operation.
The undercover investiga- tion, known as “Operation Takedown,” began March 30 and ended April 9, prior to WrestleMania throughout all of Hillsborough County. Un- dercover detectives conducted chat, hotel, and streetwalker operations that led to the ar- rests.
Two men, Jason Brooks, 44, of Tampa, and Jamel Muldrew, 32, of Houston, Texas, were both arrested on human trafficking charges.
Brooks was arrested after he responded to a decoy pros-
titution advertisement. He be- lieved he was going to pay for sex with a 17-year-old girl.
Muldrew had been trans- porting a 17-year-old victim for the sole purpose of com- mercial sexual acts. Mul- drew also faces charges of transporting for prostitution and deriving support from the proceeds of prostitution.
An additional two victims were recovered as a result of “Operation Takedown.” Selah Freedom offered support to the human trafficking victims.
Rusty Harden, 41, also of Tampa, is a registered sex offender, and was arrested on multiple felony charges after he sent explicit messages and photos to an undercover de- tective he believed was a 14- year-old girl. He traveled on foot to meet the “juvenile,”
only to be greeted by detec- tives. He was one of four men who faced a charge of travel- ing to meet a minor after using services/devices to so- licit certain illegal acts.
Detectives also arrested Earnest Benjamin, 39, a local pastor at Breath of Life Worship Church in Tampa, and Christopher Ray, 39, a girls high school basketball coach at Land O’ Lakes High School.
Local law enforcement partners, including the Or- ange County, Pasco, and St. John’s County Sheriff’s Office arrested individuals located out of Hillsborough County’s jurisdiction. The Lakeland Po- lice Department and Cape Coral Police Department also made arrests throughout “Op- eration Takedown.”
Two Charged In String Of Car Burglaries, Thefts
EARNEST
BENJAMIN RAY
UNCLE SANDY
Your worth consists in what you are, 7, 22, 33, 48, 52, 60, and not in what you have, 3, 21, 31, 49, 51, 62.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrested two people linked to the thefts of several vehicles, and burglary of several others. The offenses took place in the Westchase, Odessa, and Tampa areas.
Last Tuesday, April 13, Ashley McCabe and Brian Martin, both 35, were taken into custody after attempting to flee from deputies in one of the stolen cars. McCabe and Martin were sitting in an Audi A-5, parked at the Wawa, at the intersection of West Hillsborough Avenue and Hanley Road, in Town ‘N’ Country.
As deputies attempted to make contact with the sus- pects, Martin rammed the Audi between the HCSO pa- trol units and fled north- bound. Martin exited the
ASHLEY McCABE
BRIAN MARTIN
neighborhoods targeting un- locked cars.
At this time of their ar- rests, deputies have recovered three of the five stolen vehi- cles. Those that remain miss- ing are a 2009 black Ford F-150 pick-up truck and a 2018 grey Honda Accord.
The owner of the Honda Accord told deputies he left the keys to the car and his wallet inside the vehicle. Sur- veillance video also shows McCabe and Martin check- ing for unlocked cars in the neighborhood where they stole the 2009 Ford F-150 pick-up truck.
Anyone with information on this case, or the missing stolen vehicles, is asked to contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at (813) 247-8200.
stolen vehicle at Fountain Av- enue and Gateway Drive and continued to flee on foot.
McCabe, who was in the passenger seat, was taken into custody. Deputies caught Martin and he was also placed under arrest.
The investigation revealed Martin and McCabe al- legedly stole at least five cars, and burglarized several oth- ers, during the time from March 29, to April 12, 2021. The two suspects roamed
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