| Probable cause affidavit: |
SUBMITTED BY: KANTER, DETECTIVE MICHAEL 0155 (AR081005619) DID UNLAWFULLY TAKE FROM THE PERSON OR CUSTODY OF THE VICTIM CERTAIN PROPERTY OF A VALUE TO WIT: CASH, APPROXIMATELY $11,000.00 (EXACT AMOUNT UNDETERMINED AT THE TIME OF THIS REPORT) WITH THE INTENT TO TEMPORARILY OR PERMANENTLY DEPRIVE THE VICTIM OF A RIGHT TO THE PROPERTY OR BENEFIT THEREOF AND IN THE COURSE THEREOF UTILIZED THE THREAT OF FORCE, VIOLENCE, ASSAULT, AND PUT THE SAID VICTIM IN FEAR FOR THEIR SAFETY, IN VIOLATION OF FLORIDA STATE STATUTE 812.13(2)©. ON 100708, THE CITRUS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE EMERGENCY OPERATION'S 9-1-1 CENTER RECEIVED A CALL FROM BRANNEN BANKS, EAST CRYSTAL RIVER OFFICE, REPORTING A ROBBERY THAT HAD JUST OCCURRED. THE BANK'S ADDRESS IS 6901 WEST GULF TO LAKE HIGHWAY, CRYSTAL RIVER, FLORIDA. UPON RESPONDING TO THE BANK, EMPLOYEES REPORTED THAT A LONE WHITE MALE HAD ENTERED THE BANK WEARING A JACKET AND LONG PANTS. THEY ALSO REPORTED THE SUSPECT WORE A HALLOWEEN TYPE MASK WHICH THEY DESCRIBED AS LOOKING LIKE A DEVIL MASK. IT WAS TOLD HE WAS ALSO CARRYING A BRIGHTLY COLORED BACK PACK. UPON ENTERING THE BANK THE MALE DEMANDED EMPLOYEES PLACE $50,000.00 ON THE COUNTER. HE KEPT TELLING THEM TO HURRY OR THERE WILL BE BIG TROUBLE. AFTER COMPLYING WITH THE DEMANDS OF THE ROBBERY SUSPECT, THE EMPLOYEES PROVIDED HIM WITH MONEY. THE SUSPECT THEN EXITED THE BANK AND WAS SEEN RUNNING IN A NORTHWESTERLY DIRECTION DOWN CREDE STREET. PRIMARY RESPONDING UNITS ESTABLISHED A PERIMETER IN THE AREA TO PREVENT THE SUSPECT'S ESCAPE. DURING SUBSEQUENT INTERVIEWS, SEVERAL BANK CUSTOMERS RELAYED THEY HAD FOLLOWED THE MALE FROM THE BANK, DOWN CREDE STREET UNTIL HE HEADED INTO A WOODED AREA JUST WEST OF THE ROADWAY. FURTHER WITNESS INTERVIEWS REVEALED THE SUSPECT HAD EXITED THE WOODS IN THE AREA HE HAD ENTERED. HE THEN CROSSED BACK OVER CREDE STREET AND CONTINUED TRAVELING EAST INTO ANOTHER WOODED AREA. K-9 DEPUTIES ARRIVED ON SCENE AND INITIATED A TRACK. THAT K-9 DEPUTY LOCATED THE SUSPECT HIDING IN A SWAMPY WOODED AREA WHICH WAS WITHIN 200 YARDS OF THE BANK. IN THE DIRECT VICINITY WHERE THE SUSPECT WAS FOUND HIDING, DEPUTIES ALSO LOCATED GLOVES, A JACKET, PANTS, AND A BACKPACK CONTAINING A LARGE SUM OF MONEY. BANK EMPLOYEES HAD PREVIOUSLY PROVIDED DETECTIVES WITH THE SERIAL NUMBERS OF THE BAIT MONEY WHICH HAD BEEN TAKEN BY THE SUSPECT. MONEY IN THE BACKPACK HAD THE SAME IDENTICAL SERIAL NUMBERS AS PROVIDED BY THE BANK EMPLOYEES. ONE BANK EMPLOYEE WAS ABLE TO POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE SUSPECT FOUND HIDING AS THE ROBBERY SUSPECT, CITING SHE COULD TELL BY HIS SHAVED HEAD AND EARS. OTHER EMPLOYEES COULD ONLY STATE HE WAS THE SAME GENERAL BUILD AND HAD THE SAME SHAVED HEAD, CITING THEY COULD NOT SEE HIS FACE BECAUSE HE HAD WORN A MASK. DURING SUBSEQUENT INTERVIEWS, TWO ADDITIONAL WITNESSES WERE LOCATED. THEY REPORTED SEEING A WHITE MALE WEARING A GREY JACKET WALKING DOWN CREDE STREET. THEY ALSO ADVISED HE WAS WEARING GLOVES, WHICH IS WHAT DREW ATTENTION TO HIM. THEY RELAYED HE WAS ALSO CARRYING SOME TYPE OF BACKPACK OR BAG. THE WITNESSES STATED THEY SAW HIM PULL SOMETHING OUT OF THE BACK PACK AND THEN CONCEALED WHATEVER HE HAD PULLED OUT. THOSE WITNESSES WERE THEN SHOWN THE SUSPECT. THEY POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED HIM AS THE PERSON WHOM THEY HAD SEEN WALKING DOWN THE ROAD WEARING GLOVES AND THE GREY JACKET. (LET IT BE KNOWN GLOVES, A GREY JACKET AND BACKPACK WERE ALL FOUND WITHIN 100 FEET OF WHERE THE DEFENDANT WAS LOCATED). THOSE WITNESSES POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED THE JACKET THAT WAS FOUND NEAR THE SUSPECT AS THE JACKET HE HAD BEEN WEARING EARLIER, ROUGHLY 20 TO 25 MINUTES EARLIER. DURING A FURTHER SEARCH OF THE AREA, A MASK WAS FOUND IN THE WOODED AREA WHERE THE SUSPECT WAS FIRST SEEN EXITING THE ROADWAY. THAT MASK WAS SHOWN TO THE BANK EMPLOYEES. ALL IDENTIFIED IT AS THE ONE WORN BY THE ROBBERY SUSPECT. THE DEFENDANT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY ARRESTED. HE WAS READ HIS MIRANDA RIGHTS PER PRE-PRINTED CARD. THE DEFENDANT INVOKED HIS RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT. THE DEFENDANT WAS THEN TRANSPORTED TO THE CITRUS COUNTY DETENTION FACILITY WHERE HE WAS BOOKED ON ONE COUNT OF ROBBERY, IN VIOLATION OF FLORIDA STATE STATUTE (FSS) 812.13(2)©, A FELONY SECOND DEGREE. HOWEVER, DURING THE COURSE OF COMMITTING THE CRIME ,THE DEFENDANT WORE A MASK AND PURSUANT TO FSS 775.0845(2)(B), THIS ENHANCES THE CRIME TO A FIRST DEGREE FELONY. BOND WAS SET AT $10,000.00 IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE BOND SCHEDULE. *NOT-EXEMPT* |
