Powder, packages frighten Oldsmar, FL (fugitive still on the loose)

[DoYouEverWonder]

January 22, 2005


OLDSMAR - First a neighborhood was terrorized. Then the whole town.

It began with a letter in the homeowner association president's mailbox about 8:15 a.m.

"BOOM. Wait until Sunday. You haven't seen anything yet," said the letter, in an envelope filled with white powder.

Then came a series of alarming calls that sent authorities scrambling across Oldsmar all day: a suspicious package at a nearby car rental company, a possible explosive device in a room at the Holiday Inn Express, a reported hand grenade attached to a mailbox at an Oldsmar post office.

"It was total chaos," said Oldsmar Mayor Jerry Beverland.

Sheriff's deputies identified the man they think is responsible as David Vice, a 41-year-old married father of four. He is wanted on at least two felony charges, but deputies had not found him by late Friday.

more...

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/01/22/Northpinellas/Powder__packages_frig.shtml




David Vice, 41, a father of four, is wanted on at least two felony charges.


I guess it's a good thing this fellow isn't an Arab. Jeb would have the whole state on lockdown if he was.

[asjr]

1. My sister lives in Oldsmar. I will have to call her tomorrow

and find out what gives.

[bemildred]

2. Nice looking fellow.

I wonder if he got to vote?

[pokercat999]

3. In 68 I lived and worked

at Florida Downs (now Tampa Bay Downs I think) near Oldsmar. That summer my friend and I terrorized the whole town. For weeks we caught so many fish and gave them away in town nobody would answer their door for us. What fantastic memories from a misspent youth. One night early in the week we were down to our last $7.00 between us, not nearly enough for food for the week. My buddy suggested we go play bingo....he guaranteed a win, I was very skeptical. The bingo hall was all old ladies the age of our grandmothers. Through several games he loudly proclaimed how we were not going to be able to eat unless we won. On the last game of the night I swear they must have called twice as many numbers as usual and of course we won.....not one of those grandmothers would have called "bingo" if their entire card had been covered, of course the next night we were at the Tampa Dog Track trying to parlay our bingo "win" into steaks instead of hot-dogs. I haven't been back to Oldsmar since that summer, my guess is it's much larger now. At the time it was a sleepy gulf town that had much more in common with the other gulf towns in the deep south say in Mississippi than with the "northern" towns and cities in the rest of Florida. I was introduced to the local Grand Knight of the KKK, being a northern country boy I had no idea what the Klan was or stood for but some instinct told he to stay as far away from these "people" as possible. I was amazed to see this old "gentleman" driving a new Chrysler with no keys for the ignition, he started the engine by connecting wires that protruded through the dash, in plain sight of any interested lawman. He also had no fear of leaving his vehicle parked with the doors and windows open.

[Mojorabbit]

4. Wonderful stories! n/r

[teryang]

5. Oldsmar is "yuppy central"

Except most of the "yuppies" are in their forties and fifties. It is a fairly attractive overly congested middle to upper middle class community that has unique access to Tampa and Pinellas. It is a recent participant in the ridiculous real estate price explosion that took place in Florida in the last few years.

I haven't been there in three or four years, one of my friends that lives there now has made a lot of money on real estate in that area. I hope his luck continues because trying to live off the economy there is not that lucrative. Salaries and wages are generally quite low. He already went bankrupt in a nearby area once and has made a substantial recovery off the real estate bubble.

[ima_sinnic]

6. notable detail from the story:

. . . The homeowner's association president told authorities that Vice had been frightening the neighborhood for at least two years. He said Vice began acting strangely after Vice, his wife, Lisa, and the family's four sons moved to Utah for a brief time.

"He said they were going to live off the land," Cain said. "When he came back, his head was shaved and he was wearing camouflage fatigues."

When Vice returned a couple of months later, he railed about how much he hated the federal government and started acting even more oddly, neighbors said. . . .

[DoYouEverWonder]

8. I like the part where he attacked McDill AFB

And Vice is no stranger to authorities.

On Sept. 11, 2004, he rammed his car into a gate at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, authorities said. He was charged with fleeing and eluding a police officer and later received probation, according to Hillsborough court records.


I guess you only get sent to Gitmo for this behavior if you have brown skin?

[ausiedownunderground]

7. Where do Americans buy their hand grenades- Wal Mart?

Do the local stores sell hand grenades as well as AK-47's and M-4 carbines. WOW what a country. If we could buy this type of stuff in OZ there be carnage!!!