Page 3 - 2-20-15 Friday's Edition

Features
Family Of Missing Teenager
TECO Says Power Outages Due To Equipment Failure, Rodents
Seeks Help In Locating Her
In back-to-back weeks, and in different parts of the city, more than 10,000 cus- tomers experienced power failures, some lasting more than an hour.
TECO spokesperson, Sherry Jacobs, said the power outage last week in the Ybor City area affected more than 8,000 customers, and was due to a rat that crawled
into a substation.
This week’s power outage
in the MacFarlane area was caused by equipment failure at a substation, and impacted more than 2,000 customers.
Jacobs said TECO in- stalls protection devices to prevent rodents and other an- imals from causing these problems, but it’s not fool proof.
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Ms. Yolanda Kemp
said she is a nervous wreck. She is afraid that her daugh- ter, 15-year-old Thalia Kemp may be in danger and she hopes someone in the community can help locate the teenager.
Ms. Kemp said on Fri- day, January 30th, Thalia was happy. She was laughing, singing, and dancing. There was no indication that any- thing was wrong.
Thalia, rides HARTline to attend classes at Pace School For Girls. But, that day, she never returned home. Her family members have been trying to locate her since then.
Ms. Kemp has filed a re- port with the Tampa Police Department and she has made contact with all of the people she considers friends of her daughter. “We have been putting up flyers and when we went to one place, there were flyers of about 6 other children up there. These kids have to be going somewhere. With all of the
THALIA KEMP
... Missing since January 30th
things going on in the world, it is just so scary.”
She stated that people have called and said they have seen Thalia. But, Ms. Kemp said, “I won’t be satis- fied until I see her and know that is my child.”
Ms. Kemp said Thalia has run away before, but she has never stayed away this long. She also said none of her daughter’s clothing was missing and the family has been monitoring Facebook, instragram, and Kix for any activity on the accounts.
The family is also in con- tact with the Tampa Police Department and the detec- tive assigned to the case.
Thalia is a member of New Palm River Church Of God In Christ and is involved in the church and the com- munity. Her mother said she also volunteers at the home- less shelter.
A spokesperson for the Tampa Police Department said, “A detective is assigned to the case and is in constant communication with the family. We have received in- formation that she frequents East Tampa and there have been some sightings. We are following leads and asking anyone in the community who sees her to contact the Tampa Police Department at (813) 231-6130.
Thalia is the oldest of four children. She is de- scribed as being 5’9” and weighing 125 pounds with a medium complexion. She was last seen with long braids.
Ms. Kemp said, “Our family just wants help from the community to bring our baby back safely.” Anyone with information on the teenager’s whereabouts may also contact Ms. Kemp at (813) 270-5511.
Popular Longtime West Tampa Resident Dies
A well known former Tampa resident died last Sat- urday. Funeral services for Mrs. Grace Mitchell will be held on Saturday, February 21st, at Mount Pleasant Mis- sionary Baptist Church.
Mrs. Mitchell was a na- tive of Valdosta, Georgia, and lived in Tampa for 80 years. She attended the public schools of Hillsborough County.
She was the widow of the late Rev. George W. Mitchell, former pastor of Mount Pleasant M. B. Church. Rev. Mitchell was the second pastor of the church. Mrs. Mitchell was the mother of Billy G. Mitchell and the late Mrs. Barbara Jefferson, a former principal in the Hills-
MRS. GRACE MITCHELL
borough County School Dis- trict.
A hair stylist by profession, Mrs. Mitchell was the owner of the Elite Beauty Salon. The salon was located in West Tampa.
In addition to her son, Mrs. Mitchell is survived by other family members and friends. Ray Williams Funeral Home is in charge of handling arrangements (SEE FU- NERAL PAGE).
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-A