Psychic Arrested, Craigslist Trap, Iowa Hit List: Weird Florida

Patch operates 24 daily news sites in the Tampa Bay area and surrounding counties. The following are some of the more unusual, wacky, wonderful or just plain weird stories that have had people talking over the past few weeks:

Watch: Thief Makes Riding Lawn Mower Getaway

Clearwater Police officers are no strangers to fielding grand theft auto calls. It’s not every day, however, they find themselves hot on the trail of a suspect in a grand theft riding lawn mower case. That is especially so when the suspect is accused of using the mower to make a brazen, broad daylight escape.

Psychic Bilked Veteran, Widow Out Of $155K: Deputies

A lengthy investigation into a Tarpon Springs psychic’s alleged criminal activities ended with the 31-year-old woman’s arrest. Pinellas County Sheriff’s deputies say Gina Wilson bilked the two victims who have been identified so far out of a combined $155,353.

Gator Dies After Crash With Motorcycle

A Friday morning crash involving a 27-year-old Wimauma man on a motorcycle and an alligator initially left both injured. The man was airlifted to a local hospital with serious injuries, while the Florida Highway Patrol reported the gator was in critical condition. That status changed, however, Friday afternoon.

Craigslist Trap Snares Accused Thieves

Two South Florida men face grand theft charges after Sarasota County deputies say a victim laid a trap on Craigslist to catch them red handed with the stolen goods. The items in question belong to Apex Tree and Landscape in Sarasota and happen to have a value of about $53,000, authorities said.

Man Accused In Anti-Muslim Tirade Has Tampa Bay Ties

A man accused of going off on a drunken tirade directed at a Muslim family enjoying a day at a Texas beach once called Plant City home. Alexander Jennes Downing, 35, listed the town as his home address during a July 2016 arrest on domestic battery and abuse of an elderly or disabled adult charges.

‘Iowa Hit List’ Lands Florida Man In Jail

An email threatening the life of Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and other high-profile state officials landed a 59-year-old Port Richey, Florida, man in hot water Monday. The email was allegedly sent to the governor’s office and also posted to a Facebook page operated by the Iowa Family Preservation Project. The threats reportedly came on the heels of the state of Iowa’s decision to strip the accused man’s daughter of parental rights over her children.