$95K reward for tips in Tampa police shootings

Via e-mail, the Tampa Police Department has released the following information about the reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect in the shooting deaths of two officers:

The reward for information leading to an arrest in the shooting deaths of the two Tampa police officers is now at $95,000. The FBI has put up $50,000 with the U.S. Marshal's Office putting up $10,000. Another $10,000 is from the Police Defense Fund, $5,000 from Crime Stoppers, $10,000 from the FOP (Fraternal Order of the Police) and the final from F.D.L.E. (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) at an addtional $10,000. Citizens are asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 873-TIPS with any information about the suspect.

Detectives have a warrant for the arrest of Dontae Morris. He is wanted on two counts of first degree murder and one count of felon in possession of a firearem.

Manatee's Most Wanted list has 3 new fugitives

Each Sunday, the Bradenton Herald publishes Manatee's most-wanted fugitives in the Local section, and here online. New to the fugitives' list this week:

JEFFREY HUMBERT

DOB: 07/26/1977
5’9”, 200 lbs
Wanted: Failure to Notify DHSMV

DAVID S WILLIAMS
DOB: 12/07/1979
6’2”, 200 lbs
Wanted: VOP Sale of Cocaine

SHONTA INGRAM
DOB: 10/22/1971
5’9” / 240 lbs
Wanted: Aggravated Battery victim over 65

And arrested in the past week:
JOSEPH HARTWIG

Sarasota authorities looking for sex offender

SARASOTA - Sarasota County Sheriff's officials are searching for a registered sexual predator who has absconded from supervision.

Deputies are searching for Michael Ray Sharlow, 29, who had a last known address of 3471 Clark Road, Apt. 269, in Sarasota.

Sharlow is a registered sexual predator and is currently on probation under community control, according to sheriff's officials.

Deputies say Sharlow had a dispute with his roommate this week and Sharlow removed his monitoring bracelet and fled the scene. Detectives have obtained a warrant for his arrest.

Sharlow is 5 feet 11 inches tall, 215 pounds, with hazel eyes and a shaved head.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the sheriff's office at 941-861-4900 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers by calling 941-366-TIPS (8477). The public can also provide information online at www.sarasotacrimestoppers.com or via text message by texting TIP109 plus a message to CRIMES (274637).

Manatee sheriff: Woman's kidnapping/bomb/bank robbery claims may be true

 A 47-year-old woman claiming to have a bomb attached to her body hands a note to the Manatee County Sheriff's Department's bomb robot in the parking lot of a Bank of America in Palmetto. (Photo: Tiffany Tompkins-Condie)

 

There is evidence that a woman who claims she was told by kidnappers that a bomb had been strapped to her back and to rob a bank or it would be detonated may be true, Manatee County Sheriff’s Office officials said today.

The 47-year-old woman caused a bomb scare  at about 5:40 p.m. Friday that shut down streets surrounding downtown Palmetto for hours, after she entered the Bank of America at 700 Eighth Ave. W., wrapped in chains with what turned out to be a fake explosive device strapped to her back.

Swarms of sheriff’s deputies and Palmetto police officers shut off much of downtown Palmetto as a bomb squad secured the area and found the device strapped to the woman to be fake.

But the investigation took a strange twist as the woman told detectives that she had been kidnapped, with her attackers throwing the chains on her and strapping the device to her back, before forcing her enter the bank to rob it, according to sheriff’s reports.

Sheriff’s spokesman Randy Warren declined to release her name saying the investigation is ongoing.

“Some of what she has told us has been found to be credible,” Warren said.

To see more photos from Friday's standoff, go here.

Ellenton ice rink robbery suspect arrested

By BETH BURGER
bburger@bradenton.com

ELLENTON — A 21-year-old man was arrested Thursday night after he allegedly robbed a man at gunpoint this week, according to Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Christopher Edward Gayle, of Bradenton, was arrested on a warrant for armed robbery after he allegedly robbed a man of $700 in cash Tuesday night at the Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex, 5309 29th St. E., according to reports.

Gayle was located and arrested without incident by members of the Violent Crimes Task Force.

Manatee sheriff's PSA earns international honor

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office has been named a winner in the 31th Annual TELLY Awards, an international film competition, it was announced this week.

The sheriff’s office Public Service Announcement, entitled “Lock Your Car,” was selected from nearly 14,000 entries from around the world. The 30-second spot was produced by the sheriff’s public information unit and features actors from The Manatee Players, who show how easy it is to become a victim of auto burglary.

The TELLY Awards honor local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions, and work created for the web.

To view this year’s award-winning PSA and other video projects, visit http://www.manateesheriff.com/.

Read more in Thursday’s edition of the Bradenton Herald.

Manatee sheriff makes arrest, incident reports available online

MANATEE - The Manatee County Sheriff's Office is now placing daily arrest and incident reports online giving residents more access to information on crime in their neighborhoods.

Each day the sheriff's office will be placing the reports on the agency's website, including incident reports which outline when and where something happened, the type of  incident, such as a robbery or burglary, and a short narrative on what happened.

Arrest reports will also be online which show a cover sheet with the name, date of birth, address and some personal information of the person arrested, followed by a second sheet known as a probable cause affidavit, or PCA, outlining when a crime occurred, where it happened, and a narrative on what occurred written by the arresting officer.

A PCA is turned into Manatee County jail booking upon all arrests, so arrest reports from the sheriff's office and all city police departments will be available for viewing.

The public can access the reports by going to www.manateesheriff.com, clicking on the public interest tab at the top of the page, then clicking on the public records link on the left side of the page. The reports will be online for seven days.