TAMPA - Two Alamo rental car customers and a van driver were robbed at gunpoint Monday at Tampa International Airport after leaving the terminal and heading to the rental car facility.
The Alamo bus that transports customers back and forth had just left the airport terminal about noon on its way to the Alamo rental facility when two men pulled out guns, according to TIA police.
The men, both armed, stole an undisclosed amount of money and jewelry from two passengers and the driver before they fled from the bus, said airport spokeswoman Brenda Geoghagan.
The passengers and driver were checked by Tampa Fire Rescue personnel but were not injured, Geoghagan said. Their names were not released.
Local Alamo representatives refused to comment, and the company's corporate officials could not be reached.
Anyone with information can call (813) 870-8760.
Student, police officer hurt in USF accidents
TAMPA - Back-to-school accidents meant traffic woes for University of South Florida commuters.
USF student Catherine Fackler stepped off a campus curb Monday morning to cross Alumni Drive and was hit by a black Acura driven by 24-year-old Eddie Diaz of Lutz. Fackler, 33, was treated for minor injuries at the scene.
USF police Officer Mike Rapp drove his motorcycle out to the scene and turned on his flashing lights. A 2003 Lincoln SUV, driven by 21-year-old Ryan Butler of Tampa, broadsided Rapp.
Rapp, who wore a helmet, was thrown from the bike and hit the pavement head-first. Rapp, 30, was taken to Tampa General Hospital, treated for minor injuries and released.
The accidents threw a wrench in traffic patterns on the first day of USF's fall semester, but USF police spokesman Mike Klingebiel said the timing could have been worse.
"It occurred right when everyone was already in classes," Klingebiel said.
Klingebiel said the school's main entrance on Fowler Avenue was shut down, and traffic entering the school was rerouted.
"All around the Sun Dome was backed up, Fowler was backed up," he said. "It was a mess there for about an hour."
USF police charged Fackler with not using a crosswalk, and the Florida Highway Patrol cited Butler for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle.
Couple covered their dog in motor oil, police say
TAMPA - A man and a woman who smeared motor oil on their dog were arrested on animal cruelty charges.
Animal Services and Tampa police officers went to the home of Mattie Mae Watson Auguste, 49, and Samuel Maze White III, 43, 1405 Juneau St., on Thursday, and found a mostly hairless pit bullterrier covered in open wounds standing at the gate, according to police officials. Officers said the dog smelled like rotting flesh and motor oil.
Animal Services officers took the dog for an evaluation. Police officers arrested Auguste, who said the dog belonged to her boyfriend, White. Auguste told officers she and White coated the dog in used motor oil to treat the sores, and had plans to take the dog to a veterinarian the next day, police officials said.
Officers arrested White on Sunday evening. He remained in jail Monday afternoon with bail set at $2,000. Auguste was released on Friday.
Driver hurt when blown tire flips dump truck
SUN CITY CENTER - A dump truck driver was injured Monday morning when his vehicle flipped, spilling a load of dirt on U.S. 301 and slowing traffic for an hour.
James Shainline, 47, was driving south on the highway when his front right tire blew near the State Road 674 exit, the Florida Highway Patrol reported. The truck flipped over onto the road's west shoulder.
Shainline, who lives in Wimauma, was taken by helicopter to Tampa General Hospital where he was treated and listed in fair condition.
