Six deputies, several K-9 units, sheriff's helicopter...man took $100 from a church.

[madfloridian]

But not just any church. It was the church attended by the step-mom of the sheriff. A man took a hundred dollars from her hand and ran away. But you do not piss off Sheriff Judd and his deputies.
This seems like overkill to me.

The man should not have taken the money, that should go without saying. But 6 deputies, several K-9 units, and a helicopter are a little over the line in my opinion.

Don't mess with God, Grady Judd or his stepmother.

Cross the line with all three and expect the cavalry to hunt you down.

Detectives late Monday arrested Harold S. Williams, 28, 1635 Goodyear Ave. in Lakeland, and charged him with taking Sunday's offering from Crystal Lake Baptist Church, 1000 Mount Airy Ave. in Lakeland.

He's accused of snatching the $100 in tithes and offerings from the hand of Sheriff' Grady Judd's stepmother, Shirley Judd, who is the church treasurer. Williams is charged with robbery by sudden snatching, a third-degree felony, and disrupting a religious assembly, a second-degree misdemeanor.

Within minutes of the 11:30 a.m. robbery, deputies, K-9 units and the Polk County Sheriff's Office helicopter swarmed the scene, searching for the man.

"Thank the Lord I wasn't hurt or injured," said Shirley Judd.

Our sheriff's department, while efficient, has a habit of reacting with great force when it is not warrented.

Swat Team and hovering helicopters hunt down man who stole hedge clippers.


DAVID MILLS/LEDGER PHOTOS
Polk County sheriff's deputies and Lakeland Police SWAT officers walk Old Dixie Highway following a standoff with an armed man who was barricaded in a mobile home at Tower Manor Mobile Home Park near Lakeland on Thursday. The suspect, 26-year-old Moises Torres, surrendered after a four-hour standoff in which tear gas was fired into the home.

About noon Thursday, a 911 call brought deputies to a mobile home park off Saddle Creek Road between Lakeland and Auburndale, where a man had been seen stealing a pair of hedge clippers. The man, later identified as 26-year-old Moises Torres, ran into a home at the Tower Manor mobile home park, sheriff's spokeswoman Carrie Rodgers said.

Torres lives in a home on Tower Manor Drive, but he ran into another home and wouldn't come out, Rodgers said. He was armed and had been drinking, she said.

No one else was inside the mobile home, Rodgers said.

It took tear gas emptied into the home, a hovering helicopter and about four hours of coaxing from law enforcement officers before Torres walked out the front door and surrendered, Rodgers said.

Torres was arrested and charged with grand theft, Rodgers said.

Some were concerned at the huge show of force when the man took the $100 dollars out of Mrs. Judd's hand and ran. But the Sheriff's spokesman reassured everyone.

About six patrol deputies responded within the first few minutes of the call. And the number grew, adding K-9 units and the Sheriff's Office helicopter to the mix, Weatherford said.

"There wasn't an unusual number of units that responded," said Donna Wood, a PCSO spokeswoman. "When a suspect flees, especially on foot, there is always the possibility that he may still be in the area. We're always going to respond accordingly."

[dems_rightnow]

1. "Robbery by Sudden Snatching"

Just strikes me as funny.....

[madfloridian]

2. Is that a real term?

I never heard of it.

[dems_rightnow]

3. It's what they charged him with

Never heard of it either.

[opihimoimoi]

6. Is that opposite of Slowed Snatching???

[rug]

19. How about "Unlawful possession or use of a fifth wheel."

812.0147 Unlawful possession or use of a fifth wheel.--

(1) A person may not modify, alter, attempt to alter, and if altered, sell, possess, offer for sale, move, or cause to be moved onto the highways of this state a device known as a fifth wheel with the intent to use the fifth wheel to commit or attempt to commit theft. As used in this section, the term "fifth wheel" applies only to a fifth wheel on a commercial motor vehicle.

(2) Any person who violates subsection (1) commits a felony of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.

Peculiar crimes in Florida.

[tularetom]

4. Well they aren't very efficient if they have to send that many cops

to arrest a guy for stealing hedge clippers. Looks like the scene at the end of the Blues Brothers.

[liberalmuse]

5. Jesus would have let that man have the money.

Honestly, if you steal money from a church, I'd say you were pretty desperate. Shame on these faux Christians. Even an atheist would just let the man have it.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

10. She might have to if he had asked for it.

[Shardik]

7. There are people here who would have had him drawn & quartered.

*sigh*

[msongs]

8. what's the charge when "a religious assembly" disrupts us & the lives of millions? nt

[madfloridian]

9. There is no charge, no penalty for them.

None at all. But let a poor man take $100, and they bring out the forces.

[Liberal_in_LA]

11. He ran into a church and snatched the money from someone...that usually is taken more seriously than

if he'd snuck it out of the tithe basket.

[Fumesucker]

12. My parents were from the UK..

They were shocked the first time they went to church in the US, it seems that in the UK, the collection plate is a bag, you put your hand in and no one knows whether you put money in, leave nothing or take money out.

That it was visible to others in the church whether or how much you contributed was quite upsetting to my parents.

[Liberal_in_LA]

14. yes, it's very visible. Only way to hide that you have no money for plate is to put empty collection

envelope. Even worse...Once I went to church with a friend. The collection plate came around and we put our money in. Later in the service, the Pastor decided to try and squeeze more money out of people and sent the plate around AGAIN. This was a total surprise to everyone and some were embarrassed because they had no more money to put in the plate.

[Fumesucker]

16. That happens in Catholic churches sometimes..

Two collections, one for the church and another for missions or something like that..

I'm not Catholic so I don't know all the ins and outs of it.

But it doesn't come as a surprise there unless you are a guest.

[WritersBlock]

13. How much does the county pay for helicopter fuel?

I would imagine Polk County is using one of the old Army surplus Jet Rangers, and those puppies are probably pretty thirsty.

Certainly more thirsty than the cost of $100 in tithes or a pair of hedge clippers. If no threat was made against the woman's or anybody else's life when he took the money, it was a waste of county resources to send the helicopter up. Even if it was already in the area on another call, it was still of waste of fuel and money for it to participate in the chase.

The sheriff may be the top law enforcement officer in the county but I betcha he still has to account for departmental spending.

[peekaloo]

15. Lights! Camera! Outrage!

Sheriff Jugghead sure does love the cameras, doesn't he. I saw him on the a.m. news saying something along the lines of "Life is hard and it's harder when you're stupid".


Scary man with one hand holding a Bible and the other a firearm.

p.s. Clancy Wiggum was my write-in candidate for Sheriff
in the last election.

[madfloridian]

18. I heard a lot about how that department works....faith based.

Faith based law enforcement scares the hell out of me.

[madfloridian]

17. He is in jail without bail.

You do not mess with Grady Judd or his mother.


http://www.theledger.com/article/20081118/NEWS/811180382/1410?Title=Church_Visitation_Card_Leads_to_Robbery_Arrest

"LAKELAND | Polk sheriff's detectives tracked down a suspect in Sunday's theft of money from the Crystal Lake Baptist Church through a name and address he wrote on a visitation card left at the previous week's services, according to arrest reports.

He was held without bail Tuesday at the Polk County Jail, pending his first court appearance today.

Early Monday, detectives found two checks for $120 and $40 and made out to the church, in the bushes at Crystal Lake Elementary School, along with discarded envelopes addressed to Crystal Lake Baptist Church, reports said.

It was initially estimated that Williams had taken about $100 from the church offerings.

But Williams told deputies that he took $22 and "whatever else was with the money he threw on the ground."

The exact amount stolen hasn't been determined, reports said."