First responders closed the westbound lanes of traffic between 49th Street and 51st Street and firefighters were able to control the blaze. Photo courtesy of the St. Petersburg Police Department.House Fire Results in Death on 5th Avenue North
St. Petersburg Police and St. Petersburg Fire Rescue responded to the call of a house fire in the 5000-block of 5th Avenue North on Monday, April 15 around noon.
First responders closed the westbound lanes of traffic between 49th Street and 51st Street and firefighters were able to control the blaze. However, according police, William Connolly, 72, was found dead inside the home.
Authorities said that the fire does not appear to be suspicious at this time, however the investigation is ongoing.
A sampling of police reports from April 4 through April 13 in Gulfport, South Pasadena and St. Pete Beach.
Source: Gulfport Police Department and Pinellas County Crime Viewer
Gulfport
4/4 – Fraud in the 2500 block of 51st Street South. A resident reported that she received an email stating that her Apple account had been used to create a fraudulent Netflix account. She called a number on the email and the suspect convinced her to purchase almost $10,000 in Google Play cards in order to restore her account. The victim provided the card numbers and the suspect quickly drained all of the funds from the accounts.
4/4 – Trespass in the 6100 block of 9th Avenue South. A group of Boca Ciega High School students that were skipping school ran from Officer Marshall and attempted to hide in the neighborhood. Two of the juveniles were located hiding in a fenced-in back yard and charges are being forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office for trespassing.
4/4 – Warrant arrest in the 1200 block of 53rd Street South. Officer Clague stopped a man riding a bicycle after dark because he was not using proper lighting. A records check on the man revealed that he had two outstanding probation warrant violations for obtaining property in return for worthless checks. Jeremiah Robinson was arrested.
4/5 – Narcotics possession in the 5500 block of Gulfport Boulevard South. Sergeant Vandenberg stopped a vehicle for an expired tag. The driver had a small amount of marijuana in the vehicle. He qualified for the Adult Pre-Arrest Diversion (APAD) program and was given a referral.
4/5 – Warrant arrest in the 1100 block of Freemont Street South. Officer Janovich observed a man on a bicycle stopped in front of a mailbox in the dark. Officer Janovich made contact with the man to find out what he was doing. A records check revealed that Nathan Basista had two outstanding warrants issued by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office for failure to appear on a narcotics charge. Basista was arrested.
4/5 – Narcotics arrest in the 900 block of 49th Street South. Officer Clague stopped a vehicle for an inoperable tag light. A strong odor of marijuana was coming from the vehicle and when it was searched, approximately 13 grams of marijuana and 9 THC infused edibles were found. Adonis Hancock, the driver, was arrested for felony possession of THC concentrate.
4/6 – Warrant arrest in the 5600 block of 28th Avenue South. Officer Nieves received information that Samuel Barber had outstanding Pinellas County warrants for failure to appear on charges related to possession of cocaine, possession of methamphetamine and resisting an officer without violence. Nieves located and arrested Barber.
4/7 – Theft in the 5000 block of Gulfport Boulevard South. A juvenile parked her bicycle outside a business and went inside. When she came back, her bicycle was no longer there. She had a lock but did not lock the bicycle.
4/7 – Burglary to a residence in the 4500 block of 27th Avenue South. A 15-year-old girl was alone at a residence when she heard a knock at the door. She looked out the door and saw a man that is known to her and her grandmother. The girl called her grandmother to tell her the man was there and her grandmother told her to tell him to go away. As the girl walked toward the front door, a wrench came through the glass and she screamed. She saw the man run away. Officers arrived and cleared the home but did not find the man inside or in the area. While officers were investigating, a second call came in – the calling party advised that he had committed a crime and wanted to turn himself in. Ryan Franz was arrested and charged with attempted burglary of an occupied dwelling, throwing a deadly missile and criminal mischief.
4/8 – Theft in the 2000 block of 49th Street South. A bank reported that an employee had been stealing from two customers’ accounts over the past two months. The employee had since been terminated and officers are investigating the crime.
4/9 – Hit and run crash, then fleeing and eluding in the 6000 block of Gulfport Boulevard South. Sergeant Vandenberg witnessed a vehicle cause a crash at the entrance to the Pasadena Yacht and Country Club. The driver of the vehicle that caused the crash fled the scene and then refused to stop for Sgt. Vandenberg when he activated the lights and siren. The vehicle was eventually stopped in the 6600 block of Gulfport Boulevard South and the driver, Braulio Tovar Pineda, was arrested for leaving the scene of a crash and fleeing and eluding.
4/10 – Narcotics arrest in the 2200 block of 49th Street South. An officer observed a man attempting to reach in and steal items from a clothing donation bin. The officer stopped and detained the male. The officer obtained consent to search from the male. A small bag of crystal methamphetamine was located. Additionally, mail and credit cards belonging to various individuals were located and the investigation is ongoing in an attempt to see if the items are stolen. Steven Bracewell was arrested for possession of Methamphetamine.
4/4 to 4/10 — The Marine Unit was on the water for approximately two hours this week. Officers assisted with a water rescue and a vessel that was adrift.
Battery
4/6, 5:15 p.m., 4500 block of 27th Avenue S
4/8, 10:20 a.m., 900 block of 58th Street S
4/8, 8:44 p.m., 1000 block of 49th Street S
4/10, 2:30 a.m., 5400 block of Shore Boulevard
4/13, 11 a.m., 5000 block of Gulfport Boulevard S
Burglary – residence
4/6, 5:15 p.m., 4500 block of 27th Avenue S
Burglary – structure
4/10, 10 p.m., 5000 block of Jersey Avenue S
Burglary – vehicle
4/6, 11:25 p.m., 4800 block of Coronado Way S
4/, 9 p.m., 3000 block of Clinton Street S
Theft – grand
4/7, 9:36 a.m., 2000 block of 49th Street S
Theft – petit
4/6, 1:35 p.m., 5000 block of Gulfport Boulevard S
4/8, 11 a.m., 5100 block of 26th Avenue S
4/10, 12:35 a.m., 49th Street S and 22nd Avenue S
4/10, 2:03 p.m., 3000 block of 54th Street S
Trespassing
4/3, 11:15 a.m., 6100 block of 9th Avenue S
Vandalism – criminal mischief
4/6, 5:55 p.m., 5000 block of Gulfport Boulevard S
4/7, noon, 5100 block of 9th Avenue S
4/7, 5:25 p.m., 5100 block of 9th Avenue S
South Pasadena
Battery
4/10, 11:29 p.m., 1100 block of Pasadena Avenue S
Battery – aggravated
4/11, 12:56 a.m., 7000 block of Hibiscus Avenue S
St. Pete Beach
Battery
4/6, 11:40 p.m., 2000 block of Pass-a-Grille Way
4/7, 12:19 a.m., 6200 block of Gulf Boulevard
4/12, 11:48 p.m., 6200 block of Gulf Boulevard
4/12, 11:50 p.m., 6200 block of Gulf Boulevard
Burglary – vehicle
4/10, 12:30 p.m., 3200 block of El Centro Street
4/11, 11:33 p.m., 5500 block of Gulf Boulevard
Shoplifting
4/3, 3:33 p.m., 100 block of 8th Avenue
4/8, 1:56 p.m., 4600 block of Gulf Boulevard
Vandalism – criminal mischief
4/3, 2:30 p.m., 6100 block of Gulf Winds Drive
