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Police: An armed robber lurks in the dark

By SHEELA RAMAN
Published January 12, 2007

An armed robber targeting southern Dunedin and northern Clearwater has instilled fear among residents out after dark, authorities said Thursday.

The robber, who wears a gray mask and brandishes a handgun, has held up six residents in recent weeks, authorities said.

All of the robberies have occurred in the area bordered by Beltrees Street, Highland Avenue, Drew Street and Keene Road. They began Jan. 4, and the most recent one occurred Wednesday.

Clearwater police Officer Scott Ballard has alerted seven neighborhood watch organizations.

"We're advising people not to go out alone between sundown and sunup," Ballard said. "If you have to, go out in a group, at least until this guy is caught."

No one has been hurt, but in one case the robber fired a shot into the air, according to Pinellas County sheriff's officials.

Clearwater police and sheriff's deputies have been working together, said Clearwater police spokesman Wayne Shelor. They have increased neighborhood patrols, particularly near Union Street and N Highland Avenue.

Authorities said they believe the same man committed each robbery because they took place in the same area and victims provided matching descriptions of the robber and his methods.

In each case, the robber has struck in the night or early morning, demanding cash. One victim had merely stepped outside his garage, Shelor said.

"These people are just conducting their normal lives," he said.

Sheela Raman can be reached at sraman@sptimes.com or 727 445-4158.

To help

A robber who has preyed on six people in southern Dunedin and northern Clearwater is described as a tall thin black man 18 to 20 years old who wears a gray mask and wields a handgun. Anyone with information should call Detective Jim Cavagnaro of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Robbery Unit at (727) 582-6200, or the Clearwater Police Department (727) 562-4242, or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-873-8477.

[Last modified January 11, 2007, 22:40:55]