Manatee Herald Staff Report
Video voyeurism in Palmetto
A 44-year-old Bradenton man, already charged with sexual battery on a child, has been additionally charged with video taping a child’s underwear while the child was jumping on a trampoline at an indoor trampoline park in Palmetto.
According to the probable cause affidavit, deputies discovered the video while investigating the child sexual assault case against Christopher Lee Thompson.
Thompson was arrested on two counts of sexually assaulting a minor on April 25. He was in custody on those charges when the investigation revealed the video.
The victim was under the age of 12, according to deputies.
Thompson was charged May 13 with two additional counts of video voyeurism of a child and remains in the Manatee County jail on bonds totaling $200,000.
The real reason vaping is dangerous
According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, a man was robbed of his vape pens at gunpoint just after 4 a.m. on May 13.
Deputies say the victim was contacted via Snapchat by a person he had sold vape pens to before. Upon arriving, the buyer was accompanied by Adam Gabele, 19, according to the arrest report.
All involved agreed to meet at the Dairy Queen in the 8300 block of SR 64 E.
Deputies say Gabele initially tried to take the vape pens by force, but failed to do so during an altercation. According to the report, Gabele then brandished a firearm and the victim surrendered the vape pens.
Gabele was located at his parents house and taken into custody. A black “Baretta style” BB gun was found, which matched the description provided by the victim.
Gabele was charged with two counts of armed robbery and was released the following day on bonds totaling $50,000.
Accusations of “soul jumping” lead to assault
A 50-year-old Bradenton woman is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after accusing her roommate of “soul jumping.”
On May 15, just after 7:30 p.m. Janeen Eddings told deputies that she was in the kitchen making a turkey sandwich when she felt her roommate “enter her body.”
Eddings grabbed a knife at some point in the argument and lunged toward the victim, at which time the victim fled to her bedroom to call law enforcement.
Eddings posted bond the following day and was released.
Beware of phony contractors
A 73-year-old Manatee County woman was robbed of her jewelry after allowing two people posing as pest control contractors into her apartment on May 12, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies say Laura Frank and her nephew Sean Frank pretended to fumigate the victim’s apartment, but the fake treatment was a distraction in order to steal more than $3,000 of the victim’s jewelry, which were family heirlooms.
During the investigation, deputies learned of at least one other elderly victim in the complex.
Laura Frank, 39, was arrested the same day and charged with theft from an elderly person among other charges. She was released the following day on bonds totaling $16,500.
Sean Frank, 29, remains in custody on similar charges, as well as four counts of violating his probation.
Child sexual assault
Henry Laverne Killings, 52, has been charged with sexually assaulting a child between the age of 12 and 16 years, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by the Manatee Herald.
Manatee County deputies say the crime occurred in the afternoon of March 14.
Deputies say Killings forced the victim to undress at knife point and proceeded to sexually assault her, telling the victim he would kill her if she told anyone.
According to the arrest report, Killings was arrested on May 8 and charged with child sexual assault, as well as violating parole.
He remains in custody at the Manatee County jail without bond.
Editor’s note: All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Charges can be dropped or reduced during court proceedings.
