Page 20 - 7-14-15 Tuesday's Edition

Crime
Boko Haram Attack On Prison Leaves 4 Dead
Driver Arrested After Fleeing Traffic Stop
Detectives
Investigate
Robbery Of
Papa John’s
On July 7th at 1 a. m., Tampa Police said here masked armed suspects entered the Papa John’s at 9340 Florida Avenue and forced two employees to the ground. The third employee was forced to get cash from the safe in the restaurant. The suspects then fled on foot.
The suspects are described as Black males, all three armed with handguns, two with wit shirts wrapped around their faces during the robbery, and the third was wearing a black mask and a yellow traffic vest.
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $3,000 for in- formation that leads to the iden- tification and arrest of the suspects in this case.
Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-873-8477.
14-Year-Old Injured In Drive-By Shooting
St. Petersburg Police report that on Tuesday afternoon, a 14- year-old was injured in a drive- by shooting.
Police said the boy was standing outside his home in the 4800 block of 12th Avenue, south at 4:15 p. m. when a blue SUV stopped and several shots were fired from inside.
The teenager was wounded in the foot and was hospitalized for treatment. His condition is reported to not be serious.
No suspects or a motive has been identified in the shooting at this time.
A witness told police she heard six or seven shots, and a group of about 15 children were playing football at the time of the shooting.
People in the community said they believe it was gang vi- olence, and police are saying they don’t believe any of the kids were targeted.
NIAMY--- - A soldier and three Boko Haram members died early Sun- day when the Islamists raided a prison in south- eastern Niger in a likely bid to free detained col- leagues, humanitarian and government sources said.
The attack on the prison at Diffa, near the
border with Nigeria. The Boko Haram flag flies high after "They killed a captain attack.
of the prison guard and
three of the attackers died," the source said, adding that they "came on foot" and were probably trying to free some Boko Haram mem- bers held in the prison.
Two other jail guards were injured, the source said. The attackers were dressed in army uniforms and had grenades and assault rifles. Diffa is located in the heartland of the Boko Haram insurgency. Many young people from Diffa have joined the ranks of Boko Haram, getting paid about 300,000 CFA francs (around 450 euros
or $500) per month, according to local officials.
In June, 38 civilians were killed -- including 14 women and 10
children -- in a Boko Haram attack targeting two villages close to Diffa.
Boko Haram's deadly insurgency, which erupted in northern Nigeria, has killed at least 15,000 people since 2009 and left more than 1.5 million homeless.
Tampa Police report that while attempting a traffic stop at Hillsborough and Nebraska Avenue Wednesday night, the driver of the vehicle reportedly threw a large baggie out of the window and kept driving, eventually stopping at Ne- braska and Powhattan.
As an officer retrieved the baggie, the other conducted the traffic stop.
According to the reports, while Jerry Myer Lee, 40, was being held, it was con- firmed the baggie contained 35 grams of cocaine. Lee was ar- rested, handcuffed, and put in the back seat of a patrol car.
A few minutes later, police said Lee asked to speak with the officer. When the door of the patrol car was opened, Lee reportedly jumped from the seat, striking the officer with his head and body, and fled on
JERRY LEE
foot, still wearing the hand- cuffs.
The officer was stunned momentarily and slightly in- jured. Lee was subsequently arrested a few blocks away, and initially was uncooperative and refused to give his name.
Lee is facing several felony charges, including drug pos- session, battery on a law en- forcement officer and escape.
National
Teenager Charged In Hit And Run Involving Toddler
St. Petersburg Police have charged a 14-year-old in a hit- and-run incident involving a toddler.
Police said at 10:57 a.m. Tuesday, officers were called to 630 28th Avenue, South.
D’Andre Bush, Jr., 3, was riding his bicycle in a nearby alley accompanied by his mother when he was hit by a silver van.
Police said the driver of the van later identified as Ja’nar- ion Robinson, stopped after the accident, then drove off when he was confronted by the mother.
D’Andre was transported
to a local hospital where it was determined he was suffering from abrasions and he was treated and released.
Officers were able to track down the van and found it parked at the home of the reg- istered owner. After interview- ing the owner, police said it was determined her son, Robinson, had taken the van without permission, drove it home after the accident and fled on foot. He eventually came home and was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving injury and for not having a valid driver’s license.
Mental Health Counselors Resign After Allegedly Becoming Involved With Inmates
NEW YORK CITY -- Two mental-health counselors ac- cused of being romantically in- volved with inmates under their care at New York City’s Rikers Island Jail have re- signed from their jobs, reports the New York Daily News.
The two counselors, identi-
fied by sources as Kristina
Rodriguez and Nicole Menna, resigned from Corizon, an inde- pendent company hired by the city to provide services to Rikers’ in- mates, writes the news outlet.
A spokesman at the Department of Mental Health and Hygiene confirmed the resignations for the News.
Rodriguez, 30, reportedly fell in love with an inmate who is now free. She is said to be expecting a child. Her Instagram and Face- book accounts are replete with images of the couple, the report says.
Menna, 32, a former mental-health clinician, reportedly became involved with inmate Afthab Chouddery, two former Corizon employees told the News. Chouddery, 24, pleaded guilty to manslaughter last November, according to the Queens district at- torney’s office, the report says.
KRISTINA AND INMATE
Two Men Arrested With 418 Pounds Of Marijuana
ARIEL LOPEZ- RODRIGUEZ
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a trooper spotted more than 400 pounds of marijuana after re- sponding to a disabled vehicle at 2 a. m. Tuesday.
According to troopers, one of their men saw the mari- juana when they arrived on the scene of the disabled vehi- cle on I-75 near I-4.
Ariel Lopez-Ro- driguez, 41, and Jose Pineiro, 46, were arrested
JOSE PINEIRO
and are being held without bail.
Records indicate Lopez- Rodriguez is facing charges of armed trafficking in mari- juana, open carrying of a weapon, possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting an officer with violence.
Jail records show that Pineiro is facing the same charges along with carrying a concealed firearm, and grand theft of a firearm.
Dominican Republic Deporting Haitians
SANTO DOMINGO, Do- minican Republic — The Or- ganization of American States was weighing in here over the weekend to help defuse a brew- ing crisis over the Dominican Republic's plan to deport tens of thousands of Haitians living in the country.
On street corners, in restau- rants and in living rooms in this capital city, people gath- ered to loudly debate how the government should handle Haitian immigration and the Dominican Republic's relation- ship with its neighbor that oc- cupies the western part of the Caribbean island of Hispan- iola.
Fear among Haitian descen- dants is widespread as they try to learn their fate under Do- minican citizenship rules that may force many living here for years to leave. Activists say the Dominican Republic has a long history of discriminating against Haitians, who tend to be darker-skinned and poorer.
Immigration became a big issue after a catastrophic earth- quake struck Haiti in 2010, prompting tens of thousands to seek refuge in the Dominican Republic.
As tensions have risen, Do- minican government leaders met with Haitian officials and the OAS.
PAGE 20 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2015