Aquarium employee charged with grand theft

TAMPA --  A Florida Aquarium employee was arrested and accused of using the businesses credit card machine to pay himself under the table, according to jail records.

The arrest report said Pollard A. Cobb Jr., 22, of 3221 Lancaster Lane, voided purchases to award refunds at least four times for a total of $14,999 and then swiped his own pre-paid debit card through the credit machine to receive the money.

He's being charged with four counts each of grand theft in the third degree, fradulent use of a credit card and use of scanning device to defraud.

Cobb is being held at the Orient Road Jail on $24,000 bail.

--Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

[Photo: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office]

Two black Friday bank heists and one attempt may be linked

PLANT CITY -- Local law enforcement agencies are searching for a man they believe was involved in two bank robberies and one failed attempt on Friday, according to Plant City Police.

At 10 a.m., a man rode up to Colonial Bank at 1707 S. Parsons Ave. in Brandon on a bicycle and tried to conceal his face with a ski mask or wig, said J.D. Callaway, a spokesman for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's office. Colonial Employees locked the doors before he could enter and the man rode away on the bike to a silver SUV before driving away.

An hour later, a man with a similar description and clothing, sporting a fake beard, arrived at the Regions Bank in Plant City at 2303 N. Thonotosassa Road on a bicycle, said Lt. Jerry Stwan, of Plant City Police.

He walked in, showed a gun and demanded money, Stwan said. The robber left the bank on a bike but Plant City officers arrived within minutes with helicopter and K-9 units, so the robber dropped the bike and the cash in the bushes north of the plaza and eluded arrest, Stwan said.

And just after 1 p.m., a man with a similar description to the Plant City and Brandon robbers entered a Synovus Bank at 4003 W. Neptune in Tampa and brandished a gun. He told everyone get on the floor and told the tellers to give him money, said Tampa Police in a news release.

He left the bank on foot.

"We think they might all be connected," Stwan said.

If you have any information about any of these crimes, please call Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 1-800-873-8477.

--Robbyn Mitchell, Times staff writer

Man almost bashes Turkey Trotters with Bible, police say

CLEARWATER -- A man arrested for disorderly conduct on Thanksgiving almost hit several Turkey Trot 10K runners with a Bible during a street sermon, police say.

Mark Alan Sutto, 48, was delivering a street sermon at South Lake Avenue and Nursery Road when he interfered with the event by shouting at runners, getting in their way and waving a large Bible in their path, police said.

Sutto, who is no stranger to the Pinellas County Jail, refused to stop disturbing the run even after several warnings, according to an arrest affidavit.

Here's what the police officer wrote in the complaint: The (defendant) also waved a large bible at head level with his arm extended into the roadway, nearly striking several race participants."

Sutto, of 1630 Keystone Court in Clearwater, has previously been arrested on multiple charges of trespassing. He remained in the Pinellas County Jail Friday afternoon on $150 bail.

--Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

2 men survive crash at Davis Islands airport

[Melissa Lyttle | Times]

TAMPA -- Two men survived a single-engine plane crash this morning at the Peter O. Knight airport on Davis Islands.

Daniel Greenwald, 48, the pilot and a Tampa plastic surgeon, and Mitch Kirby, 19, also of Tampa, were on a sight-seeing trip, Tampa Fire Rescue Capt. Bill Wade said. They seemed to be returning to the airport at about 11 a.m. over the Port of Tampa when witnesses said the Extra 300 single engine craft smacked into a sailboat floating in a shipping channel next to the Davis Islands airfield. Wade said the plane's wing hit the boat's 50-foot mast about 10-feet down from the top, causing the plane to slam into a seawall where it flipped over and landed on the airfield grounds.

Matthew Dean, 34, a pilot from Tampa, was about to take off when he saw the plane crash about 300 feet away. Along with his passenger and relative Rick Darlow, 60, Dean ran to the scene where he saw the pilot, Greenwald, crawl out. Dean and Darlow then lifted up the wing to help pull Kirby out.

The pilot seemed to have cut his left hand, which he told Dean was broken. The passenger felt as if he had broken his left foot or leg, Dean said.

"He looked a little worse but was conscious," Dean said.

Both men were taken to Tampa General Hospital, where they were treated for non-life threatening injuries, Wade said. There was no fire or significant fuel spill. The plane is registered to Tampa Bay Aircraft Holdings. Greenwald and Ted Waller are listed as registered agents.

The accident prompted dozens of Davis Islands residents to come running to the airfield fence to see the wreckage and firefighter response. Two years ago, a plane crashed into a Davis Island home, killing the pilot.

Greenwald, head of Bayshore Plastic Surgery and the former head plastic surgeon at Tampa General Hospital, used to fly aerobatic maneuvers -- which includes looping and rolling in the air -- but gave up the practice to please his wife after David Cahill, neurosurgery department chairman at the University of South Florida's College of Medicine, crashed a Beechcraft Baron in Memphis and died in 2003.

But he never gave up flying.

"I get to recharge my batteries by directing all my mental abilities into one specific thing that's not work," he told the Times in 2003.

On Friday, Michael Beason and his son, Ryan, 15, were at the airport when they heard the front desk mention a crash occurred. Both ran quickly to the scene because Beason's two daughters, Erin, 12, and Katie, 10, and his brother-in-law were both in the air on a leisure trip. He quickly learned the crash didn't involve his daughters when his brother-in-law, a pilot, radioed him and told him they were ok.

"I called my wife because she wasn't very fond of people flying to let her know they're okay," said Beason of Mount Dora, who was in town visiting his brother-in-law for Thanksgiving.

Their plane was rerouted to another airport since both runways at Peter O. Knight were closed.

--Times staff writer Justin George.

Small plane crashes at Davis Islands airport

A small plane has crashed at Peter O. Knight Airport in Tampa. Rescue workers are on the scene.

Tampa Fire Rescue reports that a plane crash landed at the airport near the shipping channel. Two people reportedly were on board and appeared to be "moving and getting out of wreckage.''

Please return to This Just In for updates.

No injuries in hot air balloon mishap in Lutz

LUTZ -- A hot-air balloon touched a power line this morning near U.S. 41 and Newberger Road but managed to land without anyone getting hurt, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Callers told dispatchers that two of four balloons in the air appeared to be heading toward trees or power lines about 8 a.m., sheriff's spokesman J.D. Callaway said.

"One of them did clip an electrical line but managed to make to the ground in a controlled landing, not a crash," Callaway said.

No one was hurt, power service was not interrupted and the balloonists packed up their gear and left soon after the landing. The names of the balloonists involved were not available.

Kim Wilmath and Richard Danielson, Times Staff Writers

India terror unites local Hindu Temples in prayer

Dr. Pawan Rattan was all set to go to Mumbai during a recent trip to India where he performed charity work in a few cities in the northern portion of the country. That was earlier this week and his plan was to get some shopping done before heading back to the United States.

But at the last minute he changed his mind. And he's glad he did. If he hadn't there's a good chance the retired Tampa physician could have been caught up in the terrorist attacks that began Wednesday and have raged on in the heart of the southern Indian city's tourist district.

"I guess God was looking out for me," said Rattan, a frequent guest at the Taj Hotel, one of the hotels in Mumbai that came under terrorists attack Wednesday.

Now Rattan wants to help those who weren't as fortunate.

On Friday, Rattan, chairman of the board of trustees at the Sanatan Mandir Temple in downtown Tampa, and several other area temple leaders were working to organize a special prayer service. The group hopes to bring at least a thousand people together, including the Indian and non-Indian community, to pray for peace.

"In addition to praying for people who have left, we will pray for those in shock and hurt," Rattan said.

The prayer service is tentatively scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday at The Hindu Temple of Florida, 5509 Lynn Road. For more information, call 813-962-6890.

Nicole Hutcheson, Times Staff Writer

Early morning shoppers clearing shelves

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Let's Talk: Tell us about your shopping experience

PINELLAS PARK -- By mid morning, the early door-busting mob made short work buying out all of the 32-inch HD TV sets priced at $388 at the Pinellas Park WalMart.

The parking lot was jammed, but there are still plenty of spaces for those willing to walk 200 feet to the door. The crowds had thinned out enough that 12 of the 36 check-out aisles were closed.

-- Mark Albright, Times Staff Writer

Fire at north Tampa duplex

TAMPA -- A duplex in north Tampa caught fire this morning, sending one resident to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

At about 9:20 a.m., Hillsborough County Fire Rescue units arrived at 5910 Mar Jo Drive to find light smoke caused by a burning pot on a stove. There were no major injuries.

-- Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

Machete-wielding woman jailed on Thanksgiving

TAMPA -- For one Tampa woman, Thanksgiving night was occupied with death threats, machete-brandishing and a trip to jail.

Annette Jenkins, 46, of 401 E Columbus Drive, (pictured) apparently wasn't happy when her brother invited someone over at 10:25 p.m. When the unidentified woman entered Jenkins' home, Jenkins armed herself with a machete, stating, "If you don't get out, I'll kill you." according to an arrest affidavit.

Jenkins was charged with aggravated assault and taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where she remains on bail of $2,000.

-- Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer
[Photo provided by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office]

Deputies find dad passed out in car with 5-year-old

TAMPA -- A 28-year-old man was arrested early this morning after deputies found him unconscious behind the wheel of his car with his 5-year-old daughter in the passenger's seat.

Marco Antonio Gonazlez-Ramirez, with no known address, (pictured) was found by Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies in a black Volkswagon at Blossom and Idlewild Avenues. Deputies said his blood-alcohol content was about .17 -- more than double the limit at which a person is deemed impaired. He was unable to stand unassisted, deputies said.

Gonzalez-Ramirez was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he remains on bail of $2,750. His daughter is now in the custody of her mother, Gonzalez-Ramirez's ex-wife.

-- Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

[Photo provided by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office]

Stolen car crashes into house after chase

GULFPORT -- The pursuit of a stolen car ended with a crash into a Gulfport home Thursday night, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

At about 10 p.m. Thursday, a deputy spotted a silver 2006 Saturn Vue speeding on Bay Pines Boulevard in Seminole. A computer check on the car revealed that it had been reported stolen on Nov. 3. The deputy followed the car onto Tyrone Boulevard as he called for assistance.

The driver of the Saturn, Joe Lewis Bradford, 20, of 4057 Ninth Ave. S in St. Petersburg, (pictured above) saw the patrol car behind him near 71st Street N and began to flee, deputies said. Two deputies chased after him.

A few minutes later, deputies said, Bradford lost control of the Saturn, crashing into a Gulfport home, 1202 58th St. S. Bradford and his passenger, Darryl Jenkins, 20, 4702 15th Ave. S in St. Petersburg, (pictured left) ran from the car.

Deputies secured the area with two K-9 teams. At about 10:45 p.m., Jenkins was found hiding in the yard of a nearby home. Bradford was found about 30 minutes later in a different yard.

Both suspects suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash, and Bradford was bitten in the leg by a police dog during his arrest. They were both taken to Bayfront Medical Center, pending a transfer to the Pinellas County Jail.

Police later found cocaine and a handgun in the stolen car. The handgun had been reported stolen on Dec. 15, 2007.

Bradford was charged with grand theft of an automobile, grand theft of a firearm, driving with a suspended license, possession of cocaine, leaving the scene of a crash with injuries and felon in possession of a firearm.

Jenkins was charged with grand theft of an automobile and resisting arrest with violence. He also had outstanding warrants for violating probation on unrelated charges of cocaine possession, selling cocaine and failure to pay child support.

-- Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer
[Photos provided by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office]

Shoppers line up before dawn for deals

[Doorbuster shoppers in Spring Hill wait in a line that wrapped around the building for Circuit City's Black Friday deals. Will Vragovic | Times]
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Let's Talk: Tell us about your shopping experience

ST. PETERSBURG -- There were big lines at the 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. door-buster sales at plenty of stores in the Tyrone Mall area, but the lines were not as long as they've been in past years.

People waited in the pre-dawn chill to get in to JCPenny and Kohl's at 4 a.m., and lines wrapped the buildings at Toys R Us, Circuit City and Best Buy by 4:30 a.m. Lines also snaked into Sears and Macy's, and there was a mob at Old Navy.

Early morning bargain hunters said prices were cut deeper than last year. But Seminole plumber Michael Deremer and his wife, Julie, couldn't find anything worth buying at Kohl's, so they went to Best Buy in hopes of scoring a laptop for their son, who is a Marine stationed in San Diego.

It wasn't just the selection that sent them elsewhere. An over-eager shopper rammed a cart into Deremer's leg, diminishing his shopping enthusiasm -- and there was much there to begin with. The Deremers are trying to spend less this year than last year.

"It's bad out there," he said of the economy. "My third quarter was only half the second quarter."

Mark Albright and Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writers