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Bank robber has last word on his way out

By TIMES WIRES
Published February 17, 2007

A robber took an undisclosed amount of cash Friday morning from tellers at the Flagship Bank, 4095 Tampa Road. He ordered all five bank employees to the floor before taking the money. On his way out, officials said, he stopped at the door and said, "Have a nice day." "I don't know if it's common for someone to stop as they are fleeing a crime and to wish everyone a nice day," Pinellas sheriff's Sgt. Jim Bordner said. "I don't know if it was sarcasm or really wishing someone a nice day." The man wore white knit gloves and wielded a small revolver. Detectives say he fled in a black Toyota Corolla with dark-tinted windows. No injuries were reported, and there were no customers in the bank, officials said.

2nd man charged in abuse of dog

Authorities have charged a second man with abuse and neglect of a 3-year-old German shepherd mix. Jonathan Stewart Popple, 27, is the roommate of James Thomas Lowe, 26, who was arrested on Wednesday, accused of neglecting the dog until she weighed less than half her normal weight and had lost half of her fur, according to Hillsborough County Animal Services. Both men live at 7539 Abonado Road and are managers at the Panera Bread restaurant at 112 West Shore Blvd. Popple was charged with animal cruelty and confinement of an animal without food or water. He was released late Thursday on $2,500 bail.

Woman reports rape in UT dorm

Tampa police are investigating a reported rape in a University of Tampa dormitory on Jan. 27 during the Gasparilla parade. Police are searching for a man whose blurry image was captured by a dorm security camera. The woman, whose name authorities are not releasing because she is a victim of sexual battery, "had gotten very intoxicated at the parade and became separated from her friends," said Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy. Then she met the man, who walked her back to her dorm, McElroy said. The victim invited him to her room, where the assault took place. The victim's roommate walked in during the act, and the man left, McElroy said.

Suspect seeks aid of a typewriter

Neo-Nazi John Allen Ditullio Jr., facing trial for stabbings that left one teenager dead, decided he needs help defending himself against a murder charge after all. He asked a judge on Friday to let him use a typewriter in the county jail to type his motions. "I have doctor's handwriting," said Ditullio. He also wants "standby counsel" appointed to help him with legal tasks he can't perform because he's in jail. Ditullio's trial is set to start April 2. Authorities say Kristofer King and Patricia Wells were attacked by a knife-wielding Ditullio on March 23, 2006. King, 17, died.

[Last modified February 17, 2007, 02:04:23]