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Clearwater Police

Clearwater cop fired for using excessive force on teenager

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

A Florida police officer was fired after an internal review found he used excessive force on a 13-year-old boy who had been involved in a fight at a youth shelter. Clearwater Police Chief Dan Slaughter told reporters that 33-year-old Michael Leonardo made mistakes that “cannot be overlooked” when he responded to the call on April 2. Surveillance video shows Leonardo grab the teen across the chest and slam him face-first onto a sidewalk outside the shelter. The boy chipped a…

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Facial recognition helps Clearwater cop nab 26-year-old posing as teen

in Local Courts by

Using facial-recognition software, a Clearwater Police officer identified an adult woman claiming to be a minor at runaway shelter. Judy Crockwell, a 26-year-old transient, had been arrested multiple times this year. When she was arrested Nov. 2, she staying at Clearwater’s Safe Place posing as 16-year-old Antonia Clarke. The arrest report from that night breaks down the events leading to her arrest. After arriving at the shelter, Child Protective Services was called over to question “Antonia.” However, she refused to…

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Pinellas Sheriff, two police chiefs reiterate opposition to open carry

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri and the chiefs of the county’s two largest cities said Wednesday they support the Second Amendment but oppose open carry gun laws. The problem, they said, comes in a crisis. If there’s one or more active shooters whom police are seeking, they’ll have a harder time telling the good guys from the bad if a lot of people have weapons. That’s especially true after the July 7 ambush killing of five Dallas police officers, St.…

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