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A 34-year-old woman was bound and robbed in her East Lake apartment. The three suspects got away with valuables and her car.
By ROBERT FARLEY
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 6, 2001
EAST LAKE -- Detectives continued to search Monday for three men involved in a home invasion robbery at an East Lake apartment Friday afternoon.
When a 34-year-old woman answered her doorbell shortly after noon, the three men forced their way into her apartment in Sabal Palms at Boot Ranch, according to Pinellas County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Marianne Pasha.
The men demanded money or valuables and then tied her to a chair as they continued to look around the apartment, Pasha said.
"They didn't hit her or threaten her with any weapons," Pasha said. "They didn't harm her other than scaring her."
After looking around the house for about an hour and gathering a few small valuables, Pasha said, the three men took the woman keys and left with her 1997 beige, four-door Infiniti, license tag VZE60F.
"They didn't really get much so they took the car," Pasha said.
A couple hours later, Pasha said, the woman freed herself and called the Sheriff's Office. The St. Petersburg Times is withholding her name for her safety.
"Part of this is trying to figure out the motive for the robbery," Pasha said. "Was she targeted and why?"
The incident appears to have been isolated, since there have been no similar robberies in the area, Pasha said. Deputies have not found the car.
Lisa Matta, the property manager at Sabal Palm, said the office has been inundated with calls and visits from residents seeking information. Matta said she plans to circulate a letter to residents once she has some information from the Sheriff's Office.
The three men were described as white, in their 20s, wearing baggy clothing and baseball caps, Pasha said. One of the men had a goatee.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Crimestoppers at 1-800-873-8477, or to ask for the robbery division of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office at (727) 582-6200.
- Staff writer Robert Farley can be reached at (727) 445-4185 or farley@sptimes.com.