Page 20 - Florida Sentinel 3-22-16 Edition

Crime
Postal Worker And
Police Search
Deputies Charge Man With
Using Stolen Electricity
Accomplice Charged In $2.2 Million Social Security Scam
For Driver In
Trafficking, Growing Marijuana
STACY DARNELL MITCHELL
Last Friday, an indictment charging a 48-year-old man with theft of government property was unsealed. He is the second person to be charged in the scheme that defrauded the government of more than $2 million.
According to the U. S. At- torney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, Stacy Darnell Mitchell was charged with theft of mail and theft of government property. Mitchell was employed at the Processing and Distribu- tion Center of the U. S. Post Office, in St. Petersburg.
According to the indict- ment, Mitchell, who was employed at the U S. Post Of-
RICHARD LEE ANDERSON
fice, Mitchell took the checks earmarked for Social Security benefactors and gave them to his accomplice, Richard Lee Anderson. The theft began in January 2012 and continued until Oc- tober 2012. A sentencing date has not been set for Ander- son.
In his plea agreement, Anderson said he received checks worth approximately $2,275,000, and would pass them on to others to cash. He would then give Mitchell a portion of the proceeds from the stolen checks.
A court date for Mitchell has not been set. The investi- gation is continuing.
Detectives are currently searching for the driver of a car involved in a fatal accident. The accident took place early Friday at Old Mulberry Road near Merrin Road.
According to the Hillsbor- ough County Sheriff’s Office, a green 1993 Nissan Altima, with Tennessee license plate 217BNC, struck a telephone pole. Witnesses told police that the driver of the vehicle, de- scribed as a Hispanic man, jumped out of the car and ran away on foot.
When police arrived at the scene, they discovered a de- ceased passenger inside the vehicle. Police have not re- leased the identity of the His- panic man left behind.
Anyone with information about the driver of the vehicle is asked to contact the Hills- borough County Sheriff’s Of- fice at (813) 247-8200, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873- TIPS (8477).
Arrest Made In Near Fatal Hit- And-Run Crash
PEDRO LUIS DE ARMAS OLIVA
plastic baggy and loose mari- juana.
De Armas Oliva report- edly told deputies he had lived at the house for a month, but an investigator with TECO said he set up a utilities account on January 6th.
An illegal tap supplying unmetered power to the resi- dence and estimated the total theft over the past three months to be more than $4,600.
De Armas Oliva was ar- rested and charged with traf- ficking of marijuana, cultivation of marijuana, renting for the purpose of trafficking marijuana, grand theft of electricity and posses- sion of drug paraphernalia. He is being held with bail.
Fatal Traffic
Crash
On Saturday, Hillsbor- ough County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a man they discovered growing mari- juana and illegally drawing electricity to do it.
Pedro Luis De Armas Oliva, 49, was seen leaving his residence, 6521 Alta Monte Drive at 5:20 p. m. when a deputy saw him car- rying two large black garbage bags, and putting them into the trunk of a vehicle.
The deputy followed the vehicle and after seeing the driver, Siomara Estrada- Angel, commit a traffic of- fense, he pulled the car over. As the deputy approached the car he reported smelling mar- ijuana. He later discovered that the two garbage bags in the trunk were filled with fresh cut marijuana plants.
De Armas Oliva report- edly told deputies he did not know what was inside the garbage bags but he had shown Estrada-Angel a large amount of marijuana he had drying in a room inside his house.
Deputies searched the house and found high sodium vapor lights, ballasts, 24 mar- ijuana root balls, an electrical board, digital scales and a
Police Arrest Wrong Way Driver On I-275
Burglary Suspect Dies After Being Tased
An off duty police officer arrested a 35-year-old woman early Sunday. The woman nearly collided with the officer while driving in the wrong direction on I-275.
Shortly after 5 a.m., Offi- cer S. Van Treese, a mem- ber of the Tampa Police D. U. I. Unit, was traveling north- bound on I-275 (near Fowler Avenue) when he observed a 2010 Honda traveling south- bound in the northbound lane.
Officer Treese used evasive actions and observed the driver of the vehicle exit the interstate in the wrong di- rection at Busch Blvd.
Officer Treese con- ducted a traffic stop and re- portedly observed signs of impairment. A D. U. I. unit responded to the scene and
AJA S. CANCELA
... Released after posting bond
conducted a Field Sobriety test.
At the conclusion of the tests, police arrested Ms. Aja S. Cancela, of Riverview and charged her with driving under the influence. She was released from the Hillsbor- ough County Jail after post- ing bond.
St. Petersburg Police re- port that on Saturday at 11:50 .m., a vehicle driven by Sou- vanna Thongdara, 39 was traveling north on 3rd Street, North.
A pedestrian, Morgan Donald Hill, 48, was cross- ing the street, in or near the north crosswalk at Central Avenue and 3rd Street.
Thongdara’s vehicle struck Hill, sending him onto the hood and windshield, po- lice said. He was then thrown to the pavement.
Thongdara fled in the vehicle, but was stopped by a police a short distance away with evidence of the accident.
Police said Thongdara was arrested for leaving the scene of a serious bodily in- jury crash. Alcohol was possi- bly a factor, police said.
Hill was transported to a local hospital with life threat- ening injuries.
Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is asked to call (727) 893-7780.
TORREY LAMAR ROBINSON
the scene worked to adminis- ter life saving treatment to Robinson, but he was pro- nounced dead at a local hos- pital.
There is an ongoing inves- tigation and more details will be released later.
SOUVANNA THONGDARA HILL
MORGAN DONALD
On Friday night, Pasco County Sheriff’s deputies re- ported that a man identified as Torrey Lamar Robin- son, 35, had broken into an occupied home at 9226 Dres- den Lane in Port Richey.
After breaking in through a window, deputies said Robinson suffered several cuts and began fighting with one of the residents inside the home.
Deputies and Fire Rescue responded and tried to take Robinson into custody, but he continued to fight, even as aid was being given to him for his cuts.
Robinson was tased be- cause deputies said he was combative and fighting them. He was then handcuffed, but later became unconscious.
Fire Rescue personnel on
Uncle Sandy
If you put 13, 19, 25, 30 the federal government in charge 4, 33, 34, 41 of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years 9, 36, 48, 59 there’d be a shortage of sand. 5, 15, 50, 53.
PAGE 20 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016