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Kids' cash is gone, but tip may solve case

Police say a teen helped a suspect take a safe belonging to a Tampa youth football group.

By AMBER MOBLEY
Published August 25, 2005

TAMPA - "Kenny in Progress Village" had a safe he couldn't open and needed the right tools for the job.

That was the anonymous tip Tuesday to Crime Stoppers.

Tampa police, on the trail of a stolen safe, headed to Progress Village in southeast Hillsborough County. By the time they arrived, a thief had paid a man $70 to pop the lock, freeing $10,000 in concession stand proceeds from the Tampa Bay Youth Football League.

"Kenny," according to police, was career criminal Kenneth L. Williams, 46.

Police say Williams got help from a 15-year-old league member - his girlfriend's grandson - who earned a $2,000 cut for his role in the burglary at Skyway Park. They charged the teen with grand theft. Because he is a juvenile, the St. Petersburg Times is not identifying him.

Williams was still at large Wednesday night, as was most of the cash.

According to state records, he has been arrested 22 times since 1978, on charges that include burglary, larceny, robbery and battery. He was recently released from state prison.

He may be headed to Orlando to stay with another girlfriend, said police, who are looking for a beatup, white, 1986 two-door Nissan with the license plate W83GED.

"That guy stole money from kids," said Tampa police Detective Mike Kirlangitis. "Not a bank. Not a corporation."

Detectives spent most of Tuesday night searching for the money and the safe. All they found were missing documents.

The man who cracked the safe gave up his $70 fee when questioned by police, but they worried the rest of the money may be getting spent.

The 15-year-old used his share on a new pair of Air Jordan shoes, a gold chain, a pair of jeans and a family dinner at Chick-fil-A, police said. "He had $2 left when we found him," Tampa police Sgt. James Contento said.

The teen had lingered around the concession stand before the burglary Sunday asking questions of workers before helping Williams steal the safe, Contento said.

Contento suspected all along that the burglary was an inside job involving more than one person.

"The key in this investigation was to move quick," he said. "We really wanted to get the money back for the little kids."

Wednesday, the Glazer Family Foundation announced it will present the youth league with a check to replace the stolen money, before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Sept. 1 preseason game against the Houston Texans.

"We care a lot about youth football," Bucs coach Jon Gruden said. "A lot of our players have kids. I have kids. Our fans have kids. We're very proud of our owners to dig in and do that.

"If you're a youth football player, keep doing good in school and I hope you guys have a heck of a season."

Anyone with information on Williams' whereabouts is asked to call Tampa police at (813) 354-6678.

Times staff writer JoAnne Korth and news researcher Cathy Wos contributed to this report.

[Last modified August 25, 2005, 06:50:10]