Sometime between 3:30-4:30 am on the morning of Oct 16, 2007, Carl Williams, an 8 year resident of Regency Cove, was cleaning up the front porch on Blvd 1. He finished his beer, crushed his cigarette into the ashtray, walked down the step to put a bag of trash out in front. A good friend had just left 15 minutes earlier, and Carl was smiling about some of the memories that conversation evoked.
Some movement down the street caught his attention. He noticed a younger, darker complected man walking north, and as he approached Carl, the man asked him for some money. Carl admits he may have been sharp with his response, maybe saying something like, "Go out and get a job." Carl turned his back on the guy. The first blow was to the back of his head, throwing Carl towards the wall of his porch. As he turned to face his attacker, a second punch caught him square in the face.
Carl tried to protect his face with both of his arms, attempting several times to kick his attacker. He worked his way off the porch, but the taller man had the better of him. Whether he slipped on the stones in front or was knocked down, Carl isn't sure, but he was kicked in the ribs while on the ground, and thinks he blacked out for maybe half an hour.
The first thing he remembers is his phone call to a friend, who showed up around 6am. He then dialed 911 and the paramedics, and later the police, arrived. Carl was taken to the VA hospital with head injuries, a missing tooth, and abrasions on his arms and legs. He remained for two and a half days. Carl is feeling better, sore in the ribs, but embarassed about being unable to better defend himself. He promises to be more vigilant in the future of strangers in the park .
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15 comments:
Thanks for keeping us informed on this tragic incident. I have now decided to renew my concealed weapon license.Hope Carl has a speedy recovery.I think its easy for us to have a false sense of being safe in our fenced in park.As a inmate told me years ago"locks and fences just keep honest people out"
My theory on this incident.Their is a heavy growth/bush area almost directly accross the home were Carl was attacked at.This area is on the other side of the fence toward Westshore side.You can see someone has been sleeping in this bush and our fence has been cut where one can crawl under it.I suspect someone was trying to sleep and got angry over some possible colorfull language and plan this attack out of anger.Their is no fault on Carls part.The solution is to 1. Fix our fence line.2.Make some deterrant to someone sleeping their like something that reaaly stinks or some glass magically to appear in this area.This is my opinion and is pure speculation.Hope this post takes as this is my second try.
I hope you showed our maintance people the hole in the fence so it can be fixed.
Rich,we are not to contact the maintenance people for jobs,i have been told.These requests are to go thru the office.Lastly,this blog is monitor by a board member as well as other board members read it.So i beleve these people are aware of this situation.Of, course i reported damage done to my car from tree trimers and nothing was done at the time.I suggest someone walk the whole outside perimeter and look for security weak points.
Sorry Don I forgot we are not allowed to tell maint. people what to do. Thanks for the info but Sat. or Sun. might be a good day for a walk along our fence check it out for myself, then I'll follow up with the manager next week. Just in case I strike a nerve by anyone monitering this blog I checked the little box for follow up e-mail.
Rich,i would not check the entire perimeter fence without park approval.In order to check it right you will need to go behind several homes.I know the park used to have a security vest that should be worn during this check.Also,i did not see a hole but a area of the fenceline near the bush that could be picked up so someone could crawl under.I think this whole fenceline should be checked every 6 months at minumun.When i worked at 3 differnt prisons we would check the fence line each 8 hour shift.Its not enough to just look at the fence.GOOD LUCK.(Also, at this area where the fence could be picked up their were pieces of the fence that were cut laying on the ground)
I walked the outside of the fence from end to end, and I saw nothing of significance. There are a few areas where the chainlink is up off the ground several inches. I saw no holes. As for sleeping in those trees... did you see the thorns on the branches? YIKES!
Living in paradise and Rich,i thank you both for your efforts and concerns over security.As you stated their are a few area"where the chainlink is off the ground several inches" We have had many thefts in the park from golf carts to bikes,etc.We now have had a resident assaulted with extreme violence.As most of us are senior citizens we need to spend the money as a number one priorty to secure us befoe something worse happens.This fenceline shold be checked and improve at least 3 time a year.The improvements at Jumblia are welcome but this is not the number one priority-safety/security is always first.I now know why people posts without their real names as i have had people calle me and stop by my unit-i have no desire to get involve in park politics because i think overall we have been blessed with good board members.I will not depend on the park for my security but Smith& Wesson will be my ace in the hole.Good security does not cost much just a desire to always improve it.
Just a after thought.There was no mention of Carl attack in the November isue of the park paper.I think this was a diservice to the park shareholders as well as their safety.Yes, there was space for our rose garden,etc,etc. This places the park in a situation of possible liability which cost all of us.This attack was probarly the most newsworthy story-yet it was not mention.We must keep all informed of the good as well as the bad.IMHO.
Don when things are under police investigation, those in the know are proably not allowed to tell anything. But I don't know that for a fact.
Don, I know about the calls and the visits even tho all I put was my nickname. But then my e-mail aday is in the park tel. book. Also most of them know unless something happens I'am running for the board in 2008.
Rich,i have no idea who you are and wish you the best if you run for the board.I have no desire to join this club/board.Most crimes are solved by people who are kept informed of situation thru their tips.I beleive most in the park do not have internet access and get their knowledge about the events here thru the park newspaper(and rumors&gossip)I feel like i am beating a dead horse posting here.I just hope we never have to add a brick to the Rose Garden due to a violence act from a resident who was not informed of possible dangerous situation in our area.Last year we had a women raped not to far from our park on Westshore.We have many ladies here who for exercise walk early hours and now it will be darker later in the morning.I beleive more info and a inform park of events it is always better to err on that side.
Don, the wording I was trying to think of late last nite was on tv it's refered to as gag rule but in real life it's proably just plain no comment when police are doing their thing.
THE GOOD NEWS-This will be my last post on this subject.(Bad news i dont use spell check)I think i have tended to post to much due to Carl being a close freind-who has help me out many time.Even took me to the VA Hospital recently.A GAG RULE refers to a court proceeding were the judge orders all involve in the case not to talk about it outside of the court.We have news every week in Tampa of home invasions,rapes,murder,etc.being reported on TV and in the newspapers with in 24 hours of the event.Maybe the park has a gag rule i dont know.I do know Nixon had his own gag rule when he was bombing Cambodia(I was their 1969).I also know Reagan had his gag rule when they were illegally given arms to the Contras.Lastly we all know about Busch gag rule on weapons of mass destrutions.Now for the real GAGGING RULE i bet that lady who was raped near our park on Westshore was gagging and i bet Carl was gagging with the injuries to his head and damage to his teeth.I think i might gag on a bottle of gin today.
I am a snowbird and think this blog is very informational. I enjoy reading this, alot of things have been posted good and bad. The RC newsletter has some info and its good but you do not get the other side such as when there are problems at the board meetings which us snowbirds don't find out till its to late. Correct me if I am wrong but did we not have a problem with the fence last year, that it needed to be repaired because there were things stolen in the park.
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