Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The county recognized National Police Week by paying tribute to its own.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has lost 15 deputies in the line of duty since 1874. Those deputies were honored recently during a public ceremony held during National Police Week. The 2013 Law Enforcement Memorial Service was conducted last week at Contachobee Fort Brooke Park. Check out the video above to see scenes from the event. To find out more about Hillsborough’s fallen, visit the sheriff’s office online. Did you say “thank you” to an officer during National Police Week? Tell us, Westchase, by commenting below!
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is giving Westchase residents an opportunity to see inside the agency and how it works.
Westchase area residents who’ve been wondering just what goes on inside the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office have a new way to get a behind-the-scenes look at the agency. A new webcast called "Inside HCSO" kicked off last week. It provides viewers with a peek inside the agency's daily operations. “The segments include information ripped right off ‘the police blotter,’ showcasing the quick actions of our patrol deputies, SWAT, dive, and aviation teams... all in the past couple of weeks,” a media release on the new webcast said. "Inside HCSO' features crime scene photos and updated information from active investigations we're trying to solve.” Each webcast, which will be released every other Friday, features a sheriff’s office employee …
Monday, May 13, 2013
Daniel Joseph Gosse was arrested May 12 on three counts of sexual battery on a child under 12.
A Westchase man remained behind bars early Monday morning after Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies say he “performed various sexual acts” on a child. Daniel Joseph Gosse, 54, of 9945 Montague St. was arrested Sunday, May 12 on three counts of sexual battery on a child under 12. The sheriff’s office says the mother of a female child reported the battery. An investigation “determined during the past 6 weeks, Daniel Gosse performed various sexual acts on the child who is not a family member,” according to a sheriff’s office media release. The incidents, deputies say, were not random. Gosse remained at the Hillsborough County Jail Monday without bond, according to jail records. Gosse told deputies he works for the Nielsen Company as a Unix…
Sunday, May 5, 2013
The three female victims all lived at the same Citrus Park home. Police are interviewing people but have made no arrests.
Update 11:08 p.m. May 5: The third victim has been identified as Christina Soto, 35. She is in stable condition at St. Joseph's hospital. The investigation continues. Earlier: Two women are dead and one is in the hospital, after a triple shooting at a home in the Citrus Park area, where the three resided. The shooting occurred at 7420 Manhattan Drive on Sunday, May 5, at approximately 11:12 a.m., according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. A witness ran to the nearby District Three office, at 7202 Gunn Highway, and told deputies that a shooting had taken place at the Manhattan Drive home, a sheriff’s office media release states. When deputies got to the home, they found two women inside the residence and one down the street from…
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is warning Westchase area residents to be mindful of crime prevention when leaving their cars unattended in parking lots.
There’s good news, bad news and news you can use on the auto burglary front in the Westchase area. The good news is that auto burglaries are technically down in the community overall, according to Cristal Bermudez-Nunez, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office. The bad news is that were about 25 auto burglaries in the Westchase, Citrus Park and Carrollwood areas combined between April 1-27, according to the sheriff’s office’s online crime mapping tool. So, what’s the news you can use? The sheriff’s office says auto burglaries are often preventable if residents take a few steps to deter thieves who might want to snatch a purse, grab a wallet or swipe a CD left on a seat. Bermudez-Nunez said the sheriff’s office is noticing that auto burglars …
Saturday, April 27, 2013
The accident happened in the early morning hours April 27 just south of North Mobley Road.
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating a one-car crash that happened in the early morning hours of April 27 on Gunn Highway. A 2005 Dodge Stratus was heading south on Gunn Highway, just south of North Mobley Road, around 2 a.m. when the driver failed to negotiate a curve, a sheriff’s office media release says. The Dodge ran off the road and struck a tree before erupting in flames. The body of a man was found in the driver’s seat, the release said. Deputies are working to identify the man. Stay with Westchase Patch for updates as they become available. Keep up with what's happening in the Westchase area by signing up for our daily email newsletter!
Friday, April 26, 2013
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office’s recent launch of a new webpage dedicated to publicizing wanted men and women enables residents to help take a bite out of crime, officials say.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has a new tool to use in its battle against crime. While the concept isn’t necessarily new, the design of the county’s new Find-a-Fugitive webpage is, said Cristal Bermudez Nunez, spokeswoman for the agency. The old Cell Block Shake Down webpage was taken down in favor of a cleaner, less graphics-heavy design that lets the sheriff’s office post the county’s Top 10 wanted fugitives and its Top 5 wanted “deadbeat parents” and “dangerous drivers.” Older cases are featured along with new ones on the site because it’s important to the sheriff’s office that people know “we haven’t forgotten about them,” Nunez said. “You may very well know these people,” she added. Find-a-Fugitive’s look is not only easier…
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Crime Report is a regular listing of calls for service in the Westchase area that have been reported to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Here are the calls for service to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in the Westchase area for the period of April 9-22: April 9 April 10 April 11 April 12 April 13 April 14 April 15 April 16 April 17 April 18 April 19 April 20 April 21 April 22 Editor’s note: Information was provided by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office's online crime mapping tool. A call for service does not necessarily mean that a crime occurred.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
A Town ‘N Country man is behind bars after an April 22 incident on Sheldon Road that sent one deputy to the hospital.
Wilbur Yates was at the bus stop on Sheldon Road and Grosse Pointe Boulevard in Town ‘N Country around 4:50 p.m. April 22 when Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies say he was held up at gunpoint. Thinking fast, Yates flagged down a deputy that drove by shortly after the attack. With the armed man still in sight, fleeing on a bicycle, Deputy Felix Moret gave chase. When Moret caught up with the man, however, bringing him into custody for the armed robbery wasn’t easy – the man fought back, the sheriff’s office said in a media release. “The suspect tried to gouge Deputy Moret's eyes out with his thumbs,” wrote Cristal Bermudez Nunez, sheriff’s office spokeswoman, in the release. “Deputy Dave Burney arrived as backup and also tried to place…
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has an online tool residents can use to keep up with the area’s most-wanted fugitives.
The Internet is fast becoming the new “post office” for law enforcement agencies that want to make sure photos of their most wanted fugitives make it into circulation. Instead of just hanging posters on post office walls, law enforcement agencies these days are creating webpages to get the word out to area residents. Some are even using social media outlets like Facebook as tools in the fight against crime. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has its own online “post office” wall. Dubbed “Find-a-Fugitive,” the webpage features the photos and some background information on the county’s Top 10 most wanted. It also shares photos of deadbeat parents and “dangerous drivers.” Cristal Bermudez Nunez, sheriff's office spokeswoman, said the …
Carole
11:01 pm on Saturday, May 18, 2013
How awful! I hope the child will be alright! I hope this monster will be behind bars for the rest of his life! There is no cure for these people! more ›