Deputy on paid leave for shooting carjack suspect

By ABBIE VANSICKLE, Times Staff Writer
Published September 14, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT Deputy Edgardo Vila says Tracey Carl Alderman, 29, tried to grab his gun in a Sheriff's Office bathroom.

TAMPA - The Hillsborough Sheriff's Office has opened an internal investigation after a deputy shot a carjacking and sexual assault suspect who tried to grab his gun.

Wednesday evening, Deputy Edgardo "Ed" Vila shot Tracey Carl Alderman in the bathroom at the District 2 headquarters, sheriff's spokesman J.D. Callaway said. Alderman was under arrest. His handcuffs had been removed in the bathroom, Callaway said.

Alderman, who has a history of violence, tried to grab Vila's pistol.

Vila shot him once in the leg, Callaway said.

Vila had minor bruises and was taken to Brandon Regional Hospital, where he was treated and released. He has been placed on paid administrative leave, a standard procedure, Callaway said.

Vila, a field training officer who joined the Sheriff's Office six years ago, is "an outstanding deputy," Maj. Bill Davis said.

"He does an excellent job," Davis said. "He's very lucky that he didn't get more seriously injured. That individual just didn't want to go back to prison."

Alderman was taken to Tampa General Hospital, where he remained Thursday afternoon, Callaway said. Alderman faces charges of carjacking, kidnapping, sexual battery, battery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, robbery and threatening to discharge a destructive device, jail records show.

Deputies say Alderman carjacked a woman and her 9-year-old son, forced them to go with him to rob a bank and sexually assaulted the woman.

It's not the first time Alderman, 29, has been accused of such violent acts against a woman and child.

In October 2004, he was accused of sexually assaulting a 24-year-old woman and a 6-year-old girl, arrest records show. The sexual battery charges involving the woman and child were dropped. But he was convicted of domestic battery by strangulation in that case, records show.

The court file for the case was not available for review Thursday.

He received probation, but he ended up going to prison after he violated probation restrictions in 2006 by stealing two 12-packs of beer, according to sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter.

He left state prison on Sept. 2.

News researcher John Martin contributed to this report.

[Last modified September 13, 2007, 23:18:48]