| Probable cause affidavit: |
SUBMITTED BY: CARRERAS, JOSE 0481 (AR15-13759) CASE (15-14064) ROBBERY, MEANS OF TAKING OF MONEY OR OTHER PROPERTY WHICH MAY BE THE SUBJECT OF LARCENY FROM THE PERSON OR CUSTODY OF ANOTHER, WITH THE INTENT TO EITHER PERMANENTLY OR TEMPORARILY DEPRIVE THE PERSON OR THE OWNER OF THE MONEY OR OTHER PROPERTY, WHEN IN THE COURSE OF TAKING THERE WAS THE MENTION OF HAVING A WEAPON ON HIS PERSON WHILE ALSO DEMANDING CASH, USING A HANDWRITTEN NOTE, IN VIOLATION OF FLORIDA STATE STATUTE NUMBER 812.13(3)(A). ON JANUARY 31, 2015, DEPUTY NOCELLA RESPONDED TO THE SUPER WAL-MART LOCATED AT 6885 SOUTH SUNCOAST BOULEVARD IN HOMOSASSA IN REFERENCE TO A ROBBERY CALL. ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION RECEIVED, THE COMPLAINANT ADVISED THAT A MALE SUBJECT HANDED THE CASHIER A NOTE CLAIMING HE WAS IN POSSESSION OF A GUN AND WANTED HER TO GIVE HIM CASH. FOLLOWING THIS DEMAND, THE MALE SUBJECT WENT TO THE GROUND PLACING HIS HANDS BEHIND HIS HEAD AND REMAINED THERE WITH NO FURTHER REQUESTS. UPON ARRIVAL OF DEPUTY NOCELLA, HE DISCOVERED THE MALE DEFENDANT LAYING FACE DOWN AS PREVIOUSLY DESCRIBED NEXT TO REGISTER NUMBER 17. AFTER SECURING THE DEFENDANT AND READING HIM HIS MIRANDA RIGHTS, THE DEFENDANT TOLD DEPUTY NOCELLA HE CARRIED OUT THE ROBBERY ATTEMPT IN WAL-MART WITH INTENTIONS OF BEING SHOT AND KILLED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT. THE DEFENDANT FURTHER INFORMED DEPUTY NOCELLA HE IS CURRENTLY ''ON COMMUNITY CONTROL AND HAD RECENTLY BEEN VERY DEPRESSED AND SUICIDAL.'' UPON CONDUCTING AN INTERVIEW WITH THE CASHIER/WITNESS, MS KAYLA DAVIS, SHE ADVISED âSHE WAS WORKING AT REGISTER 17 WHEN MR. STATHAS APPROACHED HER AND HANDED HER A NOTE STATING, ''HE HAD A WEAPON AND TO HAND OVER THE MONEY.'' MS DAVIS TOLD DEPUTY NOCELLA THE DEFENDANT THEN BACKED AWAY FROM HER STATION ''AND LAY FACE DOWN WITH HIS HANDS BEHIND HIS HEAD.'' MS DAVIS STATED SHE NEVER DID OPEN HER REGISTER, NOR DID SHE HAND THE DEFENDANT ANY MONEY AS DEMANDED. MS DAVIS STATED SHE JUST WALKED AWAY AND ALERTED THE MANAGER OF WHAT OCCURRED. DURING A FOLLOW-UP INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY DEPUTY AGUILERA ON SCENE WITH DEFENDANT STATHAS, THE DEFENDANT TOLD DEPUTY AGUILERA HE HAD ''LOW SELF ESTEEM'' AND WAS ''VERY DEPRESSED.'' DEFENDANT STATHAS TOLD DEPUTY AGUILERA THAT FOR THIS REASON HE ATTEMPTED TO ''ROB'' THE âWAL-MART SUPERCENTER IN HOPES ''OF BEING SHOT BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS'' BASED ON THE BELIEF HE WAS IN POSSESSION OF ''A GUN.'' DEPUTY AGUILERA ADVISED THE DEFENDANT FURTHER TOLD HIM ''HE HAD ATTEMPTED TO ROB A BANK IN BEVERLY HILLS ON 071814 IN HOPES THAT HE WOULD DIE THAT TIME AS WELL.'' BASED ON THE INFORMATION RECEIVED DURING THE INVESTIGATION CONDUCTED BY DEPUTY NOCELLA AND DEPUTY AGUILERA, THE INFORMATION PROVIDED PERTAINING TO THE DEFENDANTâS ACTIONS IN THIS INVESTIGATION IS IDENTICAL TO A PRIOR BANK ROBBERY CASE (CCSO CASE NUMBER 2014-00098279) INVESTIGATED BY THIS DETECTIVE ON JULY 18, 2014, AT THE SUNTRUST BANK IN BEVERLY HILLS. DURING THAT INVESTIGATION, DEFENDANT STATHAS WAS INVOLVED AND IN FACT HANDED THE TELLER A NOTE CLAIMING HE HAD A ''CONCEALED GUN'' AND WANTED THE TELLER TO GIVE HIM ''MONEY.'' IN AN INTERVIEW CONDUCTED ON SCENE FOR THAT INCIDENT, DEFENDANT STATHAS TOLD THIS DETECTIVE HE ROBBED THE BANK BECAUSE HE WAS DEPRESSED AND WANTED TO BE SHOT AND KILLED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT. IN FOLLOWING UP WITH THE DEFENDANTâS FATHER ABOUT THIS INCIDENT, HE INFORMED THIS DETECTIVE THAT HIS SON COMMITTED A SIMILAR ACT OF ROBBERY MANY YEARS AGO AT A HOTEL IN NORTH DAKOTA. THE DEFENDANT WAS EVENTUALLY ARRESTED AND LATER PLACED ON PROBATION/COMMUNITY CONTROL ON JANUARY 15, 2015, AFTER SUBMITTING A PLEA OF NOLO-CONTENDERE. IN CONDUCTING A HISTORY CHECK ON DEFENDANT STATHAS FOR THE NORTH DAKOTA INCIDENT, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT DEFENDANT STATHAS WAS ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH ROBBERY IN NORTH DAKOTA AND FOR A ROBBERY INCIDENT IN VERMONT. ADDITIONALLY, DEFENDANT STATHAS WAS FURTHER DISCOVERED WITH A CONCEALED WEAPONS CHARGE IN GEORGIA. I THEN OBTAINED A COPY OF THE HANDWRITTEN NOTES USED BY DEFENDANT STATHAS IN THE ROBBERY INVESTIGATIONS CONDUCTED AT THE SUNTRUST BANK IN BEVERLY HILLS AND THE WAL-MART SUPERCENTER IN HOMOSASSA TO VERIFY THE INFORMATION CONTAINED. IN REVIEWING THE NOTE USED DURING THE SUNTRUST BANK ROBBERY, AND THE NOTE USED DURING THE ROBBERY ATTEMPT AT WAL-MART, THE VERBIAGE CONTAINED WITHIN BOTH HANDWRITTEN NOTES WERE THE SAME. BOTH WRITTEN NOTES STATED THE FOLLOWING WORD FOR WORD: ''I HAVE A CONCEALED GUN, GIVE ME (HAND OVER) THE MONEY.'' AS A RESULT OF THE ACTIONS CARRIED OUT BY DEFENDANT STATHAS DURING THE RECENT INCIDENTS, ALONG WITH THE OUT OF STATE ROBBERY CASES, DEFENDANT STATHAS DOES APPEAR TO HAVE A COMMON MOTIVE OF CARRYING OUT ROBBERIES AND ATTEMPTS FOR PERSONAL GRATIFICATION WHERE HE HAS PLACED NUMEROUS VICTIMS IN FEAR OF THEIR LIVES. FOR THIS REASON, ON FEBRUARY 3, 2015, DEFENDANT STATHAS WAS ARRESTED AT HIS HOME AND CHARGED WITH THE ATTEMPTED ROBBERY THAT OCCURRED AT THE WAL-MART SUPERSTORE IN HOMOSASSA. PRIOR TO THE ARREST, DEFENDANT STATHAS CONFESSED HIS ACTIONS BOTH PRE AND POST MIRANDA STATING HE HAD LOW SELF-ESTEEM AND WANTED TO BE SHOT BY LAW ENFORCEMENT. WHEN ASKED IF HE KNEW HE PUT THE CASHIER IN FEAR WHEN HE COMMITTED THE ROBBERY AT WAL-MART, DEFENDANT STATHAS STATED YES. WHEN ASKED IF HE UNDERSTOOD WHAT HE WAS PLANNING WHEN HE WROTE THE NOTE EXPLAINING WHAT HE WANTED FROM THE CASHIER, DEFENDANT STATHAS STATED YES. DEFENDANT STATHAS WAS THEN SECURED IN DEPUTY BLOTZâS VEHICLE AND TRANSPORTED TO THE CITRUS COUNTY DETENTION FACILITY FOR BOOKING AND PROCESSING. AS A RESULT OF THE ONGOING ACTIONS CARRIED OUT BY DEFENDANT STATHAS, HE WILL BE HELD AT NO BOND. |
