Crime & Safety

OMG PD: Grand Mom Leaves Boy at Walmart, Passed-Out Mom, 'Smart' Getaway Car

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

Man Arrested in School Burglary Faces Child Porn Charges

Alexis Ortiz was already in the custody of the Pasco County Sheriff's Office on charges related to a burglary at Ridgewood High School when a deputy discovered an iPhone in Ortiz's shorts.

That iPhone, the sheriff's office says, contained a photo of a man perfomring a sex act on a 2-year-old girl.

So Ortiz, who lives in Port Richey but worked as a garden tech at The Home Depot in Holiday, now faces a charge of possession of a photograph depicting sexual performance by a child in addition to a charge of burglary and three counts of dealing in stolen property that were already levied against him.

Find out what's happening in Land O' Lakeswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A grandmother faces child neglect charges after deputies say she lost track of her 11-year-old grandson at a Bradenton Walmart and left him there.

The woman, who has not been identified, had gone to the store to exchange paint but was unable to make the transaction without her credit card, which she had left at home, deputies said.

Find out what's happening in Land O' Lakeswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

During that time the grandmother had lost track of the child in the store. She looked for the boy, with help from Walmart employees, but was unable to find him. So she decided to go home and get her credit card, "assuming the child was still in the store," a sheriff's report states.

After returning to Walmart to complete her transaction, she looked for the boy again, but he could not be found, deputies said. At about 5:15 p.m., the sheriff's office was contacted, and deputies began an extensive search for the child. At about 6:50 p.m., Bradenton Police located the child, who was unharmed and had apparently walked from Walmart to his home about four miles away.

The grandmother faces child neglect charges.

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies say two men with a penchant for designer togs swiped $2,346 in merchandise and then made their getaway in a black Smart car.

Now, deputies are turning to Westchase residents to help them solve the crime.

The shoplifting in question occurred March 19 around 7 p.m. when two men entered the Westfield Citrus Park Macy’s, 7801 Citrus Park Town Center, through the south-side entrance. The men picked up three stacks of Sean John merchandise and walked out without paying. The estimated price tag on the duds tops $2,300, deputies said in a media release.

Spa Shuts Down in Wake of Human Trafficking Investigation

A Tampa massage parlor under investigation for human trafficking has shut down after the building's landlord terminated the lease.

The building owner determined Ocean Health Spa, at 3631 Henderson Blvd., was violating its lease and therefore terminated it, police said.

The locks were changed on the building, according to a press release from the Tampa Police Department.

As part of the investigation, police sent undercover detectives to the business. The detectives were offered sex in exchange for money, according to police.

Fetish Filmmaker Ordered to Pay $14K to Four Homeless Men

A local judge has order a St. Pete man to pay four homeless men $14,000 after they were beaten in one of his fetish films, according to a report by the Tampa Bay Times

Jeffery Williams, according to the Times, produced a, "series of fetish videos that showed women beating up handcuffed men."

"The men claimed they were offered $25 to $50 each to be whipped, beaten and dominated by scantily clad women as cameras rolled. They said they were not allowed to fight back and had to endure the beatings for 12 minutes in order to get paid."

Palm Harbor Man Accused of Punching and Swearing at School Bus Driver

A Palm Harbor man faces a felony charge after he allegedly punched a Pinellas County School bus driver who was trying to protect a special needs child.

Frank Dom Bottari, 51, is charged with felony battery on a school board employee in connection with the incident.

An arrest affidavit obtained by Palm Harbor Patch says that on the afternoon of Monday, April 1, Bottari became confrontational with the bus driver when the driver asked Bottari to control his loose dogs. The driver was trying to help unload a special needs child from the school bus, which was near Bottari's home on Knoll Avenue North.

"Bottari became belligerent and began cussing," then used a closed fist to push the bus driver and said he would rip him apart, according to the affidavit.

A Sarasota mother was arrested after deputies found her passed out and with drugs in reach of her 5-month-old son, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office reported Wednesday.

Deputies found Andrea Keesling, 42, unconscious and hanging off a reclining chair in her home, sheriff's office spokesperson Wendy Rose said in a media release. Keesling's infant son was strapped in a car seat on the floor of the home with what later was found to be a crushed codeine pill about a foot away from him, Rose said.

The child, who has Down syndrome, was hungry and in need of a diaper change, according to the release.

 

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