Page 19 - Florida Sentinel 12-26-17

Crime
Ex-Substitute
Teenagers
Philadelphia 4-Month-Old
Injured By Raccoon
Teacher Charged
Charged
Dragged Out Of Bed, Seriously
With Sex Crime
Of Packages
A 4-month-old in Philadelphia had to go through surgery this week after she was viciously at- tacked by a raccoon inside her home.
According to CBS Philadelphia, Journi Black has a long road to recovery ahead of her after she was dragged from her bed by the animal.
“It’s just ridiculous,” Samuel Black, Journi’s father, told the news station. “My daughter could have lost her life.”
Animal control was called and set a trap for the raccoon so that there will not be a re- peat incident. However, Journi will take at least a year to fully recover from the horrifying ordeal.
“My daughter was laying on the bed sleeping and I went to take my son to the bathroom. We heard a sound upstairs and we see a rac- coon run down the steps,” Ashley Rodgers, Journi’s mom, recalled. “When I fi- nally got to her, she was lay- ing on the floor so it had dragged her off the bed, across the room, and she was bleeding and crying and her whole face was red.”
Rodgers had only re- cently moved into the home with her daughter and 6- year-old son Jordan. Other tenants reportedly live in the
Police have arrested a 28- year-old former substitute teacher in connection with a sex crime. The victim is a 14- year-old student.
According to the Hillsbor- ough County Sheriff’s Office, on May 6th, at approximately 1 a.m., George Washing- ton Foreman, Jr., allegedly arrived at the victim’s apart- ment complex. He had re- portedly exchanged emails with the victim before the meeting.
Once he arrived at the lo- cation, Foreman allegedly met the victim in the parking lot, where they hugged and kissed each other. During the hugging, Foreman is alleged to have touched her on the buttocks.
The victim told police Foreman touched four times while they hugged and kissed. The girl positively identified Foreman as the person who touched her.
After detectives completed
GEORGE WASHINGTON FOREMAN, JR.
their investigation, they for- warded the report to the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office. A warrant was issued for Foreman and he was arrested at his home on Tuesday.
Investigators said they are not aware of any other vic- tims at this time.
Foreman was a teacher at Woodmont Charter School, where the victim was a stu- dent.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrested two teenagers early Thursday. They were both charged with petit theft and entered into the Juvenile Arrest Avoidance Program because they had no prior criminal record.
According to police, on Tuesday, shortly after 6 p.m., a golf cart, occupied by two people, pulled in front of a Riverview home. One of the people in the golf cart was ob- served in the video removing a FED Ex package from the vic- tim’s front porch. The package contained an Apple TV streaming router, worth $140, and two other items.
They fled the scene in the blue and white golf cart, police said.
They were both taken into custody and charged. Police said they were both females.
New Tax Law Raises Questions Regarding 2018 Property Tax Payments
The Hillsborough County Tax Collector’s Office has been fielding inquiries from cus- tomers wanting to know if they can “pre-pay” their 2018 property taxes. The questions arose following the passage of the new Tax Law, which has placed a $10,000 cap on the combination of income and property tax deductions and goes into effect on January 1.
Customers are unable to make “pre-payments” to 2018 property taxes because those tax values have not yet been assessed.
Taxes are assessed as of January 1 each year and are normally due and payable on November 1 of that year (Florida Statute 197.122).
Hillsborough County prop- erty owners can, however, take advantage of set discount rates for their 2017 taxes.
Earn a 3% discount on your 2017 property taxes by paying by on or before Decem- ber 31st.
Customers have the option of paying online, by mail, or in person. To make your prop- erty tax payments online, please visit the Tax Collector website at www.hillstax.org/payment- center.aspx.
Baby, Journi Black was dragged out of her bed by a raccoon.
home; however, a spokesper- son for the city’s Licenses and Inspections Department told the news station that the homeowner, who bought the property in May, does not have a rental license and so if he is indeed renting rooms is doing so illegally.
“It needs to be shut down. Everybody needs to leave out of there,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers said she con- tacted the landlord after spotting the first raccoon earlier in the evening—some- thing which neighbors say is particularly common, espe- cially in the trash area.
Rodgers says that the landlord told her that he chased the raccoon out, but after the baby was attacked, the landlord rushed her to the hospital. The family says they intend to pursue legal action.
With Theft
18-Year-Old Accused
Of Shooting Woman
Sitting In Car
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man in connection with shooting woman sitting in her car ear- lier this month. The incident took place at a Circle K Store, in Winter Haven.
According to police, 18- year-old Jahmari McCray was arrested and charged with attempted murder, car- rying a concealed firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and dis- charging a firearm in public.
Police said on Sunday, December 10th, Ms. Melissa Thomas, 62, was sitting in her vehicle outside of the Cir- cle K Store, 1108 Spirit Lake Road. She was preparing to leave when a young Black man, described as being in his 20s, pointed a handgun at
JAHMARI McCRAY
her and fired once through her open window. The man then fled the scene in an un- known direction.
Ms. Thomas was trans- ported to a local hospital and admitted with non-life threatening injuries. She was listed in stable condition.
National Crime
UNCLE SANDY
Nobody can give you freedom. 4, 17, 23, 28 Nobody can give you equality 3, 30, 33, 40 or justice or anything. 7, 44, 50, 55 If you're a man, you take it. 9, 49, 51, 60.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2017 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 19