U.S. 19 traffic ends theft suspect's flight

By DEBORAH O'NEIL

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 5, 2001

CLEARWATER -- With her 11-year-old son in the van, a Largo woman led Clearwater police on a chase across the city Tuesday night after she snatched the purse of another woman at a grocery store, police said.

Her getaway was foiled by U.S. 19 traffic, officials said.

Sherry Jean Stone of 1945 Coral Way in Largo sped through red lights as police hurried to secure intersections in her path, said Clearwater police spokesman Wayne Shelor. At one point, she almost hit a police officer who tried to approach her van. No one was hurt during the chase, but the purse-snatching victim was injured, Shelor said.

Stone faces six charges: aggravated child abuse, strong-arm robbery, fleeing and attempting to elude, reckless driving, aggravated assault and aggravated battery. She was being held at Pinellas County Jail on Tuesday night in lieu of $50,000 bail.

"She took her son on a dangerous ride," Shelor said. "The cops were pretty careful. They were not pushing her, they were following her."

The entire incident happened in less than 15 minutes, starting at 7:49 p.m. in the parking lot of Kash n' Karry at 1861 N Highland Ave.

Judy Elaine Edwards-Parish, 50, was walking into the grocery store with her purse on her left shoulder when a woman with a little boy pulled up in a maroon van and asked for directions to Winter Haven, officials said. Edwards-Parish, a registered nurse and a 30-year Clearwater resident, walked back to her car to get a map, said her husband, John Parish.

"My wife was trying to help the woman," Parish said. "It was just innocent, helping somebody."

As Edwards-Parish was giving directions, she turned so her purse was next to the van door. That's when Stone opened the door, reached out and grabbed the purse and began to take off in the van, Parish said.

Edwards-Parish fell to the ground and was dragged a short distance until the purse strap broke, Shelor said.

"She literally thought she was going to get run over," Shelor said.

Wednesday, Edwards-Parish was home recovering with an injured left leg.

"She's in a lot of pain," her husband said. "It's going to take a while for it to heal."

Shortly after the robbery, Clearwater police Officer Anthony Monte spotted the van as it passed him heading south on Greenwood Avenue. Stone pulled over in a parking lot at 1200 S Myrtle, and as Monte tried to approach, she said to him, "Why did you stop me?" and took off. Monte had to jump out of the path of her van, Shelor said.

As this was happening, Officer John Brown was pulling in, and he began a pursuit as she took off. For the next few minutes, Stone wound through Clearwater, heading east, going through red lights at about 50 to 60 mph, Shelor said. Other officers cleared intersections in the van's path.

The chase came to a halt when Stone turned onto U.S. 19 and ran up against stopped traffic at Druid Road. She hit a car waiting at the light as she tried to wiggle through traffic, but officers were able to stop her.

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