Crime & Safety

OMG PD: 'Fugitive' Kangaroo; Deputy Arrested; Wife Hits Husband with SUV

We compile the odd, unusual "oh my gosh" police items from throughout the Tampa Bay region.

A 45-year-old Sarasota woman faces a charge of vehicular homicide, after investigators say she struck her husband with the couple's Yukon Denali and drove over him as she fled the scene to her mother's house.

Leslie Williams was arrested Wednesday in connection to the hit-and-run death of 48-year-old Christopher Williams.

According to witnesses, Leslie and Christopher were arguing inside their home on Oakford Road and then moved outside, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.

Find out what's happening in Carrollwood-Northdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Leslie got into her 2006 GMC Yukon Denali, and Christopher walked toward the gate at the end of the driveway. Investigators say that Leslie put the Yukon in drive and struck the victim with the front of the vehicle.

'Fugitive' Kangaroo Caught in Pasco

Pasco County Sheriff’s deputies do more than patrol Land O’ Lakes streets looking for bad guys. Sometimes they chase after “fugitives” that are furry and hop.

Find out what's happening in Carrollwood-Northdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

That was the case this weekend when a 200-pound, 5-foot tall kangaroo led deputies and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers on a chase through East Pasco County that began Saturday night and ended Sunday afternoon.

The runaway kangaroo was caught June 2 in Lacoochee, said Melanie Snow, spokeswoman for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.

The kangaroo had been “on the run since last night (Saturday),” Snow said in an email to media. “This kangaroo has led our deputies on a lengthy chase in Lacoochee.”

Woman Arrested After 3-Year-Old Found Alone at McDonald's

A Holiday woman stands accused of child neglect in connection to the case of a 3-year-old child who was found alone at a McDonald's fast-food restaurant a little after 5 a.m. Wednesday, June 5. 

Latondra Cooper, 25, left three children alone overnight for at least eight hours without any supervision or ability to contact emergency responders, according to an arrest report from the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.

One of the children was the 3-year-old found atthe restaurant Wednesday. The other two children, ages 5 and 1, were found at home sleeping by themselves with the front door open, the report said.

Bicyclist Swipes Bus Driver’s Purse

Hillsborough County deputies are on the hunt for a man they say helped himself to a school bus driver’s purse not too long ago.

The man in question is stepped onto a school bus parked at 5925 Yorkshire Drive in the Town 'N Country area and took off on a bicycle with the driver’s purse. The incident happened May 20 around 9:15 a.m.

Surveillance video captured the man in the act and now deputies want to identify him so they can make an arrest.

Gang Planned $70K Largo Home Invasion

A St. Petersburg woman is part of a group that planned a home invasion that netted nearly $70,000 in stolen jewelry, according to Largo Police.

Wearing masks, gloves and carrying guns, Lance Tolsma and Gregary Gardiner forced their way into a 65-year-old Largo man’s house, bound his hands behind his back and forced him to the ground while nude while they ransacked the house stealing $70,000 worth of jewelry in March, according to police.

They forced the homeowner, who is not being named because of the nature of the crime, to instruct them on how to open his safe, where they stole many pieces of jewelry including a $36,000 diamond engagement ring, according to investigators.

Police Search for ‘Person of Interest’ in New Tampa Murder Case

Tampa police are looking for a “person of interest” in the murder of a Texas man that took place in New Tampa.

At 3:30 p.m. on Friday, May 31, Reggie Reshawn Adams, 20, was involved in a disagreement in the parking lot of the McDonald’s at 19080 Bruce B Downs Blvd., according to police. He was chased south approximately 2.5 miles on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard near Interstate 75. There, he was shot in his 2005 black Dodge Magnum.

Adams lives in Texas but was visiting family and friends in Dade City, police said. His friends drove him to Pasco Regional Hospital in Dade City and dropped him off at 5:11 p.m. He died soon after from his injuries.

Manatee Deputy Charged With DWI

A Manatee County Sheriff's deputy is charged with driving while intoxicated after he allegedly knocked over a street sign with his pickup truck while off duty in Parrish early Sunday morning.

Kevin White, 27, was pulled over by another deputy around 4 a.m. Sunday on U.S. 301 on suspicion of DUI. The deputy said White had "bloodshot, glassy, watery eyes and slurred speech," according to the arrest report.

Deputies also said they saw White strike the street sign and leave the scene. 

White has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal affairs investigation, the sheriff's office said.

He is the second Manatee County Sheriff's deputy to run into legal trouble in recent weeks. Lt. Dale Couch, 50, was arrested last week on child molestation charges and has resigned from his post.

***

Keep up with what's happening in Carrollwood and Northdale and nearby by signing up for our daily email newsletter!


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Carrollwood-Northdale