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A suspect is caught because he resembles the famous conservative.
By WILLIAM R. LEVESQUE
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 1, 2000
LARGO -- Conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh would have been proud, prosecutors say. In a way, he helped nab a bad guy in St. Petersburg.
And he didn't even have to step foot in the city to do it.
It all began in the middle of July, when St. Petersburg police Officer David Beeler absently noticed a defendant in a Hillsborough County courtroom who he thought bore a striking resemblance to Limbaugh, Pinellas prosecutors say.
That defendant's name was Ray Doyle Williams.
On July 19, the very next day, an acquaintance of Williams said the 46-year-old pushed her out of her Chevy Lumina and promptly took off with it. The woman, who was 73, called police.
Beeler responded, interviewed the victim and recognized Williams' name, prosecutors say.
Prosecutor Pat Siracusa said he told her, "I know that guy, he looks like Rush Limbaugh!"
Beeler issued a BOLO (Be on the Look-Out) alert to units in the area.
Wanted for suspicion of battery on an elderly person and carjacking: a man, about 6-feet tall, 275 pounds who happens to look like Rush Limbaugh.
Within minutes, officers Thomas Baitinger and Michael Bizzell noticed Williams walking on the street not far away.
They nabbed their suspect based entirely on the resemblance, Siracusa said.
On Thursday, Williams pleaded guilty to the charge of battery on an elderly person (prosecutors dropped a carjacking count) and was sentenced to two years' house arrest to be followed by two years' probation.
Siracusa, who happens to be a fan of the real Limbaugh, said, "Good for Rush. He solves a crime in Pinellas County without any effort at all."