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Crime journal

By Times Staff Writer
Published October 23, 2007

CLEARWATER

Passenger'sshooting story investigated

Pinellas County authorities Monday continued to investigate inconsistencies in the story of a man who said he had been shot and still boarded a flight to Albany, N.Y. William J. Notaro, 37, of Clearwater was treated for apparent gunshot wounds during an extra-long layover in Charlotte, N.C. "We continue to investigate what this person's injuries are," sheriff's Sgt. Jim Bordner said. "Was he even shot? And if he was, with what?" An investigation is now under way to determine if any crime was committed, Bordner said. Notaro could not be reached on Monday. Notaro's version of events: He fell into an argument with a woman at the Windemere apartments in Dunedin. She shot him three times with a small-caliber handgun about 3 a.m. Saturday. He dressed the wound with the help of a friend and boarded a flight to Albany, where his extended family lives. Bordner said he couldn't reveal where Notaro was when he may or may not have been shot. The story had a number of contradictions: -The manager of the Windemere apartments, who wouldn't give her name, said there had been no shooting at the complex.-Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Sari Koshetz said screeners didn't notice anything suspicious about Notaro.When initially contacted by Pinellas investigators, Notaro said he might not want to prosecute, officials said.

PORT RICHEY

Same man sought in 3 bank robberies

Pasco County authorities are seeking one man suspected of robbing three banks in a week. Deputies said Kenneth Wayne Benzo, 47, could be driving a purple Geo Metro, sporting the license tag I33-XJH - a car recently reported stolen from Tarpon Springs. He has red hair, light skin, a tattoo on his neck. These banks were robbed: the Wachovia on State Road 52 in Port Richey on Oct. 16; the Crown Bank on Mile Stretch Road in Holiday on Oct. 18; and the SunTrust at 2123 U.S. 19 around 11:30 a.m. Monday. In each case, the man walked in, showed the teller a note, and walked out with the cash. No weapon was used, and no one was hurt.

[Last modified October 22, 2007, 23:30:36]