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Police seek suspect in string of fitness center theftsBy JON WILSON © St. Petersburg Times, published April 15, 2001 ST. PETERSBURG -- Police continue to look for the person who broke into four fitness center lockers two weeks ago, then used a stolen key to enter a car in the parking lot and snatch money and credit cards. Detectives call it an unusual crime, but say they have heard about a few similar incidents around the Tampa Bay area in recent months. During the late morning of March 31, someone pried open four locks on lockers at Gold's Gym, 203 38th Ave. N, according to police reports. Vehicle keys and the padlocks themselves were taken, the reports say. Two similar cases were reported March 31 at the Pumping Station, 5915 Fourth St. N, both about the same time of day, reports say. The Pumping Station is about a mile from Gold's. Police have a description of a man they would like to interview. One of the stolen credit cards was usedto make purchases at a service station not far from the fitness center and at some other businesses. The man making the purchases was filmed. He is described as white, about 35 years old, 6 feet tall and 190 pounds, and wearing a grayish baseball cap, a tan or beige shirt, black shorts and white sneakers. St. Petersburg police detective Kirby Fenton said he has heard of a similar incident in unincorporated Pinellas County. And he said there was a series of them in Sarasota County in November. "Money was taken, there were no witnesses. Four Fridays in a row, and then boom, it just stopped and that was it, like they moved on or something," Fenton said. On the day of the thefts at Gold's, the popular fitness center did not have as many staff members on duty as it usually has, said manager Nicholas Terzick. He said normally six or seven people are working, including maintenance workers who pass through locker rooms frequently. "It was a rough day," Terzick said. "It was real weird circumstances. I feel bad for the people involved."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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