Jewel Heist Nets $20K
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1 TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2013 | YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1874 | 75¢ Lake City Reporter LAKECITYREPORTER.COM Jewel Storm’s aftermath heist 19 families displaced by storm damage; officials toting losses. nets By TONY BRITT [email protected] $20K Power was restored to most of Lake City by Monday afternoon Friday burglary following a weekend of severe thunderstorms, but more than 19 caps 2-week spike local families remained displaced in city break-ins. from their homes and receiving disaster relief services. Shayne Morgan, Columbia By DEREK GILLIAM County emergency management [email protected] director, said Florida Power and Light representatives told him More than $20,000 in jew- that all power had been restored elry was stolen from a local by 1 p.m. Monday, but sporadic hotel Friday, according to power outages were still being police. reported as of 5 p.m. On Sunday, The incident occurred an estimated 945 customers around dusk at Hampton remained without power. At the Inn and Suites, 450 SW peak of the storm on Saturday Florida Gateway Blvd. afternoon, an estimated 7,000 The victim, an Indiana were without power. woman, told police a num- First responders and law ED SEIFERT/Columbia County Sheriff’s Office ber of items stolen: a white enforcement officers spent hours A tree limb crashed through the roof of this home but the occupants were unhurt, according to reports. gold necklace with seven patrolling storm-impacted areas. diamonds, two yellow gold County Commissioner Ron bracelets, a sterling silver Williams said he heard of two necklace and heart pen- instances of looting, in which dant, a pair of diamond people went onto someone else’s stud earrings, a yellow gold property and removed sheet necklace with an angel and metal roofing that had been a gold bracelet with dia- blown off buildings. monds. The report estimat- “The property owner told ed the missing items to be me they did not have permis- worth $20,100. sion to move the metal, but he Lake City Police was scared to say something to Department refused to them,” Williams said. release further informa- County reports indicate only tion, including whether the two local roads remained impass- woman was a guest at the able — Bell Road and Ormond hotel and whether the items Witt Road. There were 20 roads were taken from a room, on the list Sunday, down from 60 her car or a hotel safe. on Saturday, but public works The theft capped a two- crews reduced the list to two week spike in burglaries in roads by midday Monday. Most the city. LCPD is investigat- of the closed roads were made ing 13 such crimes. Steve impassable because of downed Shaw, the department’s trees, downed power lines, or public information officer, standing water. There was mini- said on average the depart- mal water damage to the road TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter ment responds to about 15 themselves. Tree limbs remain on a home and car at a Southeast McCray Avenue home Monday afternoon. Crews removed burglaries a month. During a county briefing the downed tree from the street earlier during the weekend. Friday, LCPD released session Sunday afternoon, nine of the 13 incident Clint Pittman, county Damage reports on burglaries inves- Assessment Team leader, said tigated from March 8 to more than 50 homes in the Woman, 6 kids face March 22. Police refused to county suffered some sort of release any information on storm damage. He said those three of the remaining four numbers could increase because struggle after storm burglaries, including where the damage assessment teams they occurred or what was were not able to access all the taken. LCPD confirmed one areas because of downed trees By DEREK GILLIAM I could do was go in the of the four took place at the and powerlines. [email protected] hallway and cover them with Porterhouse Grill the night Morgan said the county a cover ... I wasn’t ready for of March 14 or early on received reports of seven or Bonnie Denton wasn’t all that.” March 15. eight homes that could be classi- too worried when the rain The tree lay on the mobile Of the 13 burglaries, 10 fied as totally destroyed. started falling Saturday. She at 140 SE Davie Court were residences, including Henry Isleib, an American Red watches the weather update Monday. Denton said she’s motels or temporary rent- Cross representative, said the on the news every night and a single mother on disability als, and three were busi- agency was helping at least 19 expected a thunderstorm. and doesn’t have savings to nesses. families displaced by the storm. She was in bed, curled up remove the tree or fix the Of the 13, two appear to Reports from National Weather with the youngest of her damage. be domestic violence relat- Service radar in Jacksonville indi- six children, when a gust of She said American Red ed, with one party having cated 4 to 6 inches of rain fell in wind toppled a tree onto the Cross put her and her kids a restraining order on the the county from 1 p.m. Saturday roof above the bedroom. in a motel for the night, but other. Law enforcement was to 1 p.m. Sunday. Winds gusts “The tree hit the top of the soon she could be homeless DEREK GILLIAM/Lake City Reporter called in those two cases were reported to be as high as house, and the whole house and on the street with six Bonnie Denton stands beside her home at 140 when homes were illegally 70 mph. vibrated and all my kids children — one of whom is a SE Davie Court on Monday. A tree fell on the entered. started screaming ‘Momma, roof during Saturday’s thunderstorm that pro- The other seven reports DAMAGE continued on 3A Momma,’” Denton said. “All FAMILY continued on 3A duced straight-line winds estimated at 70 mph. were burglaries of a resi- dences or of a business. Of the seven burglaries, LCPD made an arrest and charged suspects in three Woman killed, daughters hurt in crash cases. The other four are pending cases with no By TONY BRITT Her daughters, Shaquana Robinson, 17, and way, traveling onto the south shoulder of U.S. arrest made. [email protected] Jamaya Suiter, 13, both suffered serious inju- 90 towards a car sales lot. The first burglary in the ries in the crash and were taken to Shands at Robinson’s vehicle struck the curb, a pedes- recent string occurred at A Lake City woman is dead and her two the University of Florida in Gainesville. trian crosswalk pole/sign and then struck a 564 NW Shelby Terrace daughters remained hospitalized Monday Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Mark Boatright couple of parked vehicles. The car became on March 11. The police after a single vehicle crash Sunday night. said the traffic crash investigator told him the airborne as it continued southeast then struck department responded to Tamika Denise Robinson, 35, was killed 17-year-old’s condition had deteriorated since more parked cars, sending debris into three an alarm from the home when she lost control of her car while passing arriving at the hospital and she was listed in other cars. Robinson’s vehicle came to rest security sytem. A neighbor another vehicle and it struck a crosswalk pole critical condition. upside down. witnessed a man wearing before flipping over and striking vehicles at a According to FHP, Tamika Robinson was The FHP report said the daughters were a black baseball cap and a car dealership lot. driving a 2005 Ford Crown Victoria east on not wearing seat belts and were ejected from white T-shirt get into a old The wreck occurred 11:59 p.m. Sunday U.S. 90 with her daughters as passengers. the vehicle. white sports utilty vehicle, on U.S. 90 at the intersection of Ridgewood Witness statements indicate Robinson’s Robinson’s car was an older police intercep- which was missing the tire Avenue. vehicle suddenly swerved left to pass another tor car. Authorities said Robinson was not a on the back. Robinson, who was wearing a seat belt, was vehicle then overcorrected to the right. The law enforcement officer and the car was not pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. car began to spin clockwise and left the road- an active police vehicle. BURGLARIES continued on 3A Vol. 138, No. 300 Opinion . 4A CALL US: TODAY IN COMING (386) 752-1293 59 32 People. 2A PEOPLE WEDNESDAY SUBSCRIBE TO Mostly sunny Obituaries . 5A THE REPORTER: Advice & Comics . 3B Depp. Stewart Local news Voice: 755-5445 Fax: 752-9400 WEATHER, 2A Puzzles . 4B are winners. roundup. 2AWEATHER 2A LAKE CITY REPORTER DAILY BRIEFING TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2013 Page Editor: Jim Barr, 754-0424 Celebrity Birthdays Saturday: Monday: Monday: n Conductor-composer Woodward is 70. 6-11-13-24-35-53 Afternoon: 6-4-8 Afternoon: 9-4-7-3 Sunday: Pierre Boulez is 88. n Singer Diana Ross of x5 Evening: N/A Evening: N/A 5-12-16-23-27 n Retired Supreme The Supremes is 69. Court Justice Sandra Day n Actor Johnny Crawford O’Connor is 83. is 67. n Actor-director Leonard n Rock singer Steven Tyler PEOPLE IN THE NEWS Nimoy is 82. (Aerosmith) is 65. n Actor Alan Arkin is 79. n Singer and TV personal- n House Democratic ity Vicki Lawrence is 64. Leader Nancy Pelosi is 73. n Actor Ernest Thomas Depp, Stewart win at Kids Choice Awards n Actor James Caan is 73.