Woman, 82, escapes as gunman takes over house

By Times staff writer

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 19, 2000

SPRING HILL -- A gunman forced his way into a Spring Hill home Tuesday, knocked the 82-year-old homeowner to the ground and then dragged her around the house as he looked for money, sheriff's deputies said.

Authorities are still looking for the man, who knocked on the door of the Gates Circle home and forced his way in when the woman answered, a Hernando County sheriff's report said.

The woman, whose name and specific address are being withheld by the Times because of safety concerns, was not injured and ran from the house while the man was looking through her things, the report said. A neighbor across the street called 911, but the man escaped before deputies arrived.

Nothing in the house was taken, and a report stated that the contents of the house seemed to be in order.

Authorities described the gunman as about 6 feet tall, 120 to 130 pounds and black with a slight mustache and possibly a goatee and short but not shaved black hair.

He left on foot through the back of the house, sheriff's spokeswoman Deanna Dammer said. Dammer added that officials lifted fingerprints from the house but have no suspects.

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