Documents detail man's violent attack on woman before killing her dog in Florida
Updated: 10:14 AM EDT Mar 27, 2024
Documents detail man's violent attack on woman before killing her dog in Florida
Updated: 10:14 AM EDT Mar 27, 2024
LOOK AT THEM COMING UP IN A FEW MINUTES. SHELDON. ALL RIGHT. OFFICIALS IN BALTIMORE THANK THE SIX CONSTRUCTION WORKERS THAT THEY WERE LOOKING FOR ARE DEAD AFTER YESTERDAY’S BRIDGE COLLAPSE. OFFICIALS SAY THE SEARCH WILL CONTINUE THIS MORNING. THEY SUSPENDED SEARCH AND RESCUE LAST NIGHT BECAUSE OF SAFETY CONCERNS FOR DIVERS NAVIGATING THE FRIGID WATERS AND THE DEBRIS IN THE PATAPSCO RIVER. OFFICIALS SAY NO BODIES HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED JUST YET. THE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS WERE ON THE BRIDGE AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH REPAIRING POTHOLES. THAT’S WHEN A MAYDAY CALL CAME IN AND POLICE SCRAMBLED TO SHUT THE BRIDGE DOWN. THE LARGE CARGO SHIP REPORTEDLY LOST POWER. YOU CAN SEE IT BILLOWING WITH SMOKE IN THE SECONDS BEFORE IT HIT A PILLAR ON THE FRANCIS QUAY BRIDGE. IT’S A POSSIBILITY THE COLD AND RAINY CONDITIONS COULD IMPACT RECOVERY AND THE BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSE IS EERILY SIMILAR TO A DISASTER THAT HAPPENED MORE THAN 40 YEARS AGO IN THE TAMPA AREA ON MAY 9TH, 1980, 35 PEOPLE WERE KILLED WHEN A FREIGHTER GOT LOST IN SOME FOG AND SLAMMED INTO THE SUNSHINE SKYWAY BRIDGE. THAT CRASH CAUSED PART OF THE BRIDGE TO COLLAPSE, SENDING EIGHT CARS PLUNGING INTO THE WATER BELOW. CREWS REBUILT THE BRIDGE AND REOPENED IT IN 1987. COMING UP IN OUR NEXT HALF HOUR, WE WILL TAKE YOU TO BALTIMORE. FOR MORE ON THIS RECOVERY EFFORT AND HOW THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PLANS TO HELP WITH THE REBUILDING PROCESS. S. IT’S FOUR MINUTES AFTER THE HOUR, AND THIS MORNING, DISNEY’S PLAN FOR AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN WEST ORANGE COUNTY IS MOVING FORWARD. ORANGE COUNTY LEADERS APPROVED THE PROJECT AFTER A LONG MEETING. WESH 2’S BOB HAZEN IS LIVE IN HORIZON WEST THIS MORNING. AND BOB, SOME PEOPLE THERE SAY THIS. THIS PROJECT IS TOO BIG. YEAH, THIS IS A PART OF THE COUNTY THAT’S BEEN GROWING REALLY FAST IN RECENT YEARS WITH NEW NEIGHBORHOODS AND DEVELOPMENTS AND SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE NOW TRIED TO CONVINCE THE ORANGE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS TO REJECT DISNEY’S PLAN. NOW, MORE THAN 50 PEOPLE WERE THERE, SIGNED UP TO SPEAK IN PUBLIC COMMENT BEFORE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS TOOK A VOTE. DISNEY HAS BEEN WORKING ON THIS PROJECT FOR YEARS, ALONG WITH A DEVELOPER TO BUILD 1400 APARTMENTS AND TOWNHOMES ON A PROPERTY THAT’S NEXT TO THE 429 AND HARTZOG ROAD, A THOUSAND OF THOSE UNITS WOULD BE CONSIDERED AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AND THAT’S, OF COURSE, A KIND OF HOUSING THAT IS IN VERY SHORT SUPPLY IN CENTRAL FLORIDA, ESPECIALLY HERE NEAR DISNEY. BUT MANY PEOPLE WHO LIVE NEARBY WORRY THAT IT IS ALREADY TOO DENSE AND THIS WILL ADD EVEN MORE TRAFFIC AND OVERCROWDING AT SCHOOLS. IT’S A FANTASTIC PLACE TO LIVE. HOWEVER, WE’RE AT CAPACITY. THERE’S JUST NO MORE ROOM FOR ANYBODY ELSE TO PUT ANOTHER MAJOR APARTMENT COMPLEX. AND COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DID VOTE FOR TO TWO TO APPROVE THE PROJECT. DISNEY SENT US A STATEMENT AFTERWARDS SAYING, QUOTE, WE ARE RESPONDING TO ORANGE COUNTY LEADERSHIP’S CALL TO BRING MORE POSITIVE CHANGE TO OUR COMMUNITY AND HAVE A PLAN THAT WILL MAKE A MEANINGFUL IMPACT. WE ARE PLEASED WITH THE VOTE AND LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING OUR EFFORTS TO BRING AFFORDABLE HOUSING TO CENTRAL FLORIDA, AND THAT VOTE IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY, THOUGH IT STILL NEEDS TO GO TO STATE REGULATORS WHO WILL HAVE THE FINAL SAY ON WHETHER OR NOT THAT DEVELOPMENT GETS BUILT. REPORTING LIVE IN HORIZON WEST, BOB HAZEN, WESH TWO NEWS. GOVERNOR DESANTIS HAS APPOINTED CRAIG MATEER TO THE CENTRAL FLORIDA TOURISM OVERSIGHT DISTRICT. HE IS FROM ORLANDO AND THE FOUNDER OF C C M CAPITAL GROUP. MATEER WAS NAMED THE 2014 CEO OF THE YEAR BY THE ORLANDO BUSINESS JOURNAL. THIS APPOINTMENT STILL HAS TO BE CONFIRMED, THOUGH, BY THE FLORIDA SENATE AND THE DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS ARE EXPECTED TO MEET TODAY TO VOTE ON A NEW ADMINISTRATOR. GOVERNOR DESANTIS RECOMMENDED STEPHANIE OPELOUSAS FOR THE JOB AFTER SHE WORKED ON HIS PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN. THERE IS A SPOT ON THE BOARD AFTER GLENN GILZEAN BECAME ORANGE COUNTY’S SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS BY THE END OF TODAY, A STRETCH OF KIRKMAN ROAD WILL HAVE A NEW NAME ORLANDO MAYOR BUDDY DYER AND POLICE CHIEF ERIC SMITH WILL OFFICIALLY RENAME THE ROAD IN HONOR OF OPD OFFICER KEVIN VALENCIA. VALENCIA WAS SHOT WHILE WORKING ON A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CASE. HE FOUGHT FOR HIS LIFE FOR TWO YEARS BUT DIED IN 2021. THE OFFICER, KEVIN VALENCIA MEMORIAL HIGHWAY, WILL BE BETWEEN CONROY ROAD AND VINELAND ROAD IN. WELL, THE MAN YOU SEE HERE IS BEHIND BARS IN ORANGE COUNTY FOR THE 2021 MURDERS OF A 20 YEAR OLD WOMAN AND HER ONE YEAR OLD DAUGHTER. 23 YEAR-OLD DESHAWN GRIFFITHS FACES FIRST DEGREE MURDER AND AN ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGES. DEPUTIES SAY HE KILLED SONIA MALCOLM AND HER DAUGHTER JORDANIA. THEY’VE ALSO ACCUSED HIM FOR SHOOTING MALCOLM’S BOYFRIEND, WHO SURVIVED. POLICE ARRESTED GRIFFITHS IN NEW JERSEY LAST WEEK AND THEY’RE BRINGING HIM BACK TO ORANGE COUNTY RIGHT NOW. TAVARES POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING A DOUBLE STABBING THAT LEFT A FATHER AND SON BADLY HURT. AND THEY DO HAVE SOMEONE IN CUSTODY THIS MORNING. 34 YEAR-OLD DARRYL SHACK JUNIOR FACES TWO COUNTS OF ATTEMPTED MURDER. HE IS IN JAIL IN LAKE COUNTY. THIS MORNING WITHOUT BOND, AND POLICE RESPONDED TO THAT HOME ALONG DISTANT AVENUE ON SUNDAY IN TAVARES. WHEN THEY GOT THERE, THEY FOUND FREDERICK CRAWFORD JUNIOR AND HIS SON FREDERICK CRAWFORD, THE THIRD, WITH STAB INJURIES. AT LAST CHECK, BOTH OF THEM WERE IN CRITICAL CONDITION IN THE HOSPITAL. NEW THIS MORNING, 28 FLORIDIANS ARE WAKING UP FROM THEIR FIRST NIGHT HOME AFTER ARRIVING FROM HAITI. THESE FLIGHTS TO ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ARE PART OF THE GOVERNOR’S EXECUTIVE ORDER TO GET PEOPLE OUT OF THE VIOLENCE ON THE ISLAND. STATE OFFICIALS SAY THEY ARE SPECIFICALLY FOCUSING ON US CITIZENS WHO HAVE A TIE TO FLORIDA, BUT THEY WON’T SAY NO TO ANY AMERICANS. THE STATE SAYS THE GOAL IS TO FLY PEOPLE OUT EVERY DAY. WELL, THE CITY OF NEW SMYRNA BEACH IS TRYING TO KEEP ONE OF ITS COMMUNITIES FROM FLOODING AGAIN. CITY OFFICIALS WANT TO EXTEND A BAN ON NEW BUILDING PERMITS IN THE VENETIAN BAY SUBDIVISION THROUGH JUNE. WESH 2’S MICHELLE MEREDITH TELLS US THEY STILL DON’T KNOW WHAT EXACTLY IS WRONG WITH THE STORMWATER SYSTEM. IN NEW SMYRNA BEACH, THE ENTRANCE OF VENETIAN BAY OFF STATE ROAD 44 CAN’T BE MISSED. INSIDE ARE HUNDREDS OF HOMES. A LITTLE PIECE OF PARADISE. BUT HURRICANE IAN AND HEAVY STORMS SINCE HAS PUT A DAMPER ON PARADISE. AND SOME AREAS OF THE MASSIVE SUBDIVISION TURNING STREETS INTO RIVERS. BOB’S HOME FLOODED. YOU CAN’T GET OUT OF YOUR HOUSE UNLESS YOU HAVE A HIGH WATER VEHICLE AND THEY WERE GOING DOWN THE STREET AND CANOES. WHAT’S THE PROBLEM? THE CITY SAYS THE STORM WATER SYSTEM BUILT BY DEVELOPERS AND ONE SECTION DOESN’T WORK. THAT WELL. WHETHER IT’S A PROBLEM WITH DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION OR MAINTENANCE, CITY OFFICIALS SAY THEY NEED TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT. SO IN FEBRUARY, THE CITY OF NEW SMYRNA BEACH DID SOMETHING SOMEWHAT UNUSUAL THEY STOPPED ISSUING NEW BUILDING PERMITS, AND ONE AREA OF VENETIAN BAY CALLED PORTOFINO GARDENS. AND WITH THE DEADLINE ON THAT BAND COMING UP SOON, THE CITY WANTS TO EXTEND IT THROUGH JUNE. THE VOTE TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN COMES IN TUESDAY’S COMMISSION MEETING. IT’S VERY IMPORTANT. CERTAINLY PEOPLE SHOULD BE EXPECTED TO LIVE IN A COMMUNITY WHERE THEIR STORM WATER SYSTEM WORKS AND MAINTAIN THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE, CITY OFFICIALS SAY. LIKE BEFORE HOME CONSTRUCTION ALREADY WITH PERMITS NOT AFFECTED, THE BAND TARGETS APARTMENTS, SHOPS, STORES THAT HAVE BEEN ON THE TABLE. NOBODY’S RICH. WE’RE TRYING TO PROTECT OUR INVESTMENTS. UM, AND WE SEE THESE FLOODS AS AS DOING THE OPPOSITE. FLOODS THAT CAN TURN THEIR LITTLE PIECE OF PARADISE INTO PARADISE LOST EAST AND VOLUSIA COUNTY. MICHELLE MEREDITH WESH 2 NEWS AND EXPERTS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY ARE HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA THIS WEEK FOR THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CONFERENCE. OUR FIRST WARNING METEOROLOGIST ERIC BURRIS JOINED THEM YESTERDAY TO TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE TOOLS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO EMERGENCY RESPONDERS. SO THIS CONFERENCE IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO TAKE THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM 2023 AND FIGURE OUT WHAT WE MIGHT DO DIFFERENT IN 2024. OUR FIRST WARNING WEATHER TEAM WILL BE AT THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CONFERENCE ALL WEEK. KELLIANNE CLASS, IN FACT, IS GOING TO BE OUT THERE THIS AFTERNOON. SHE’S GOING TO HAVE LIVE COVERAGE FOR US ON WESH TWO NEWS AT NOON. AND OF COURSE, WE’RE GOING TO BE
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Documents detail man's violent attack on woman before killing her dog in Florida
Updated: 10:14 AM EDT Mar 27, 2024
ABOVE: A look at today's headlinesA Georgia man was indicted after he traveled from Atlanta to Hillsborough County and killed a woman’s dog after threatening to kill her, according to prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.Timothy Crawford, 52, allegedly left Atlanta on Dec. 7 and headed toward the woman’s home on Carden Drive in Odessa, prosecutors said. Crawford broke into the woman’s home with a pistol and a stun gun and waited for her to return.Crawford and the woman knew each other.When the woman got home, Crawford allegedly used the stun gun on the woman in addition to punching and kicking her, according to prosecutors. He reportedly told her he was going to kill her and her children.The woman used a dumbbell to defend herself and escape from the home, prosecutors said. Crawford shot and killed the woman’s Maltese before he left the home.A neighbor called 911 and said she heard the woman screaming. Crawford was taken into custody by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office after he later returned to the home. In his truck, officers found an empty 750ml bottle of vodka and a partially empty larger bottle on the rear floor, according to a criminal complaint.Several weapons were found around the home and his truck, along with a bloody cellphone.The woman had “severe” injuries, including bruising, stun-gun burns and several broken bones, according to prosecutors.Crawford reportedly admitted to breaking into the home, using a taser on her and killing her dog, prosecutors said. Before the attack, Crawford searched “do you get the death penalty if you kill a woman.”Prosecutors allege that Crawford entered the state of Florida between 7 a.m. and 4:49 p.m. based on surveillance video. He was supposed to attend a work-related barbecue in Tampa the following day, and had checked into a hotel in Lutz hours before the attack, according to the criminal complaint.After the attack, Crawford called his ex-wife and said he attacked the woman.“I attacked ,” he reportedly said. “I love you and the kids. I’m going to jail.”Crawford admitted to the attack in recorded phone calls to his ex-wife from the detention center, according to the complaint. When she asked how he got inside the woman’s home, he said he couldn’t talk about it because the call was being recorded.During one of the calls, Crawford told his ex-wife, “I planned it to a degree,” the criminal complaint states.Crawford was indicted on charges of interstate domestic violence, discharge of a firearm during and in the commission of a crime of violence, and interstate stalking. If convicted, Crawford faces a minimum of 10 years in federal prison.
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. —
ABOVE: A look at today's headlines
A Georgia man was indicted after he traveled from Atlanta to Hillsborough County and killed a woman’s dog after threatening to kill her, according to prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
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Timothy Crawford, 52, allegedly left Atlanta on Dec. 7 and headed toward the woman’s home on Carden Drive in Odessa, prosecutors said. Crawford broke into the woman’s home with a pistol and a stun gun and waited for her to return.
Crawford and the woman knew each other.
When the woman got home, Crawford allegedly used the stun gun on the woman in addition to punching and kicking her, according to prosecutors. He reportedly told her he was going to kill her and her children.
The woman used a dumbbell to defend herself and escape from the home, prosecutors said. Crawford shot and killed the woman’s Maltese before he left the home.
A neighbor called 911 and said she heard the woman screaming. Crawford was taken into custody by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office after he later returned to the home. In his truck, officers found an empty 750ml bottle of vodka and a partially empty larger bottle on the rear floor, according to a criminal complaint.
Several weapons were found around the home and his truck, along with a bloody cellphone.
The woman had “severe” injuries, including bruising, stun-gun burns and several broken bones, according to prosecutors.
Crawford reportedly admitted to breaking into the home, using a taser on her and killing her dog, prosecutors said. Before the attack, Crawford searched “do you get the death penalty if you kill a woman.”
Prosecutors allege that Crawford entered the state of Florida between 7 a.m. and 4:49 p.m. based on surveillance video. He was supposed to attend a work-related barbecue in Tampa the following day, and had checked into a hotel in Lutz hours before the attack, according to the criminal complaint.
After the attack, Crawford called his ex-wife and said he attacked the woman.
“I attacked [the woman],” he reportedly said. “I love you and the kids. I’m going to jail.”
Crawford admitted to the attack in recorded phone calls to his ex-wife from the detention center, according to the complaint. When she asked how he got inside the woman’s home, he said he couldn’t talk about it because the call was being recorded.
During one of the calls, Crawford told his ex-wife, “I planned it to a degree,” the criminal complaint states.
Crawford was indicted on charges of interstate domestic violence, discharge of a firearm during and in the commission of a crime of violence, and interstate stalking. If convicted, Crawford faces a minimum of 10 years in federal prison.