The businessman from Palm Harbor is in critical condition after sustaining upper-body injuries by someone who took money from his store's register.
By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published April 26, 2004
TARPON SPRINGS - Police are searching for someone who attacked a local gas station owner before robbing his store.
Dennis G. Dasher, 54, of Palm Harbor, was in critical condition Sunday night at Bayfront Medical Center after suffering life-threatening injuries to his upper body Saturday evening, the Tarpon Springs Police Department said.
Dasher, owner of Dasher Oil Inc., was working alone at his gas station on S Pinellas Avenue on Saturday evening when someone came in and attacked him before taking an undisclosed amount of money from the cash register, said police Sgt. Jeff Young.
David Carr, 34, and his fiancee, Jessica Kemf, 25, both of Holiday, found Dasher lying behind the counter when they entered the store about 5 p.m. to buy kerosene for a cookout.
When the couple pulled into the parking lot, the door to the small store was partly open, Carr said. There was no one around, he said.
"My fiancee peeked in and said, "Hello,' a couple times, but it was empty," he said. "Next thing I know, she's screaming to call 911."
Carr said Dasher was bleeding from his head and was unresponsive to the couple's cries. He said he originally thought Dasher had suffered a seizure and passed out on the floor. But police said Dasher's injuries were not accidental.
"It looked like it was a severe injury," Carr said.
He said the small family gas station did not have security cameras.
When reached Sunday, relatives declined to comment. No one answered the phone at the Tarpon Springs gas station, which is north of Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital.
Dasher Oil has been listed as a Florida corporation since 1979, according to records with the Florida Department of State Division of Corporations. In 1988, the official address was changed to 1125 S Pinellas Ave., the location of the robbery.
Anyone with information about Saturday's robbery and assault is asked to call the Tarpon Springs Police Department Detective Division at (727) 938-2840.
