James W. Bruce, a 73-year-old grandfather, was arrested last Thursday on three counts of bank robbery. Bruce told deputies that he that he needed to pay his mortgage. This most recent arrest is just one in a recent "crime wave" by senior citizens in the Tampa area, which has left some puzzled. During the last two months, 29 people over the age of 70 and 42 people from ages 66-70 have been arrested. Even more surprising, these offenses are not minor traffic violations but include domestic battery [two cases], robbery [two cases], grand theft [three cases], aggravated assault and driving under the influence [five cases].
"We always assume age leads to wisdom but that is not necessarily the case," said Musca. "Such a large number of arrests of senior citizens might strike one as strange at first blush," Musca explained, "but when the economy is bad and unemployment is high, desperation can set in." Musca also pointed out that even spikes in cases of DUI and domestic violence are not unusual during stressful economic times.
Just last month, Pasco Sheriff's deputies charged Harold Van Horn, a 66 year-old-man, of robbing three banks. According to the reports, Van Horn had been drifting between various hotels along U.S. 19, when he robbed a Regions Bank twice and a Fifth Third Bank. Van Horn told deputies that he traveled to Florida when he lost his job in Ohio and turned to robbing banks to support himself.
There are other recent examples of this unusual trend. Mary Joan Webb, age 77, was arrested and charged in December with grand theft for stealing $534 of merchandise from Macy's at Westshore Plaza. In another incident, Lieutenant Johnson, age 73 and his wife, age 72, were recently charged with robbery using a firearm. Johnson had no previous arrest record in Florida according to state records. In yet another example, Pasco County sheriff's deputies arrested and charged Milo Dakic, age 73, with selling a $20,000 excavator that he did not own.
If you have been charged with a crime, legally you are presumed innocent until a judge or a jury has convicted you. The prosecution holds the initial burden of proof to provide convincing evidence that you are guilty, often known as proving guilt, "beyond a reasonable doubt," where the prosecutor will work with the police investigators in an effort to secure a conviction.
It is imperative to retain a competent criminal defense attorney that will evaluate and analyze every aspect of the investigation that has led to an arrest, as there is absolutely no room for mistakes when your freedoms are at risk. Whether you have been arrested for DUI, or any other criminal act, you need to hire an experienced Florida Criminal Defense Attorney who will demand that the integrity and proficiency of the investigation that led to the arrest is beyond approach. Attorneys at Musca Law will provide you with the highest quality criminal representation available.
