By KEVIN BRADY
Horribles Parade among area Halloween events
As many as 2,000 parents and children are expected to show up this weekend for the 16th annual Halloween Horribles Parade at Center Place, next to Brandon Regional Library, 619 Vonderburg Dr. There is no charge to attend but tickets, available at Center Place, are required.
The event, designed for children aged 3 to 10 accompanied by an adult, begins outside Center Place’s deck area at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27 with costumed children taking part in a Halloween Parade. The parade, which winds its way around the building, features treat stations hosted by civic clubs and businesses. Call 813-685-8888 for more information.
Other upcoming Halloween and fall festival themed events in the area include:
• The Westfield Brandon Mall’s Fall Carnival on the corner of Gornto Lake Road and Town Center Drive which runs through Oct. 27. The event includes rides, games, entertainment and fair food. The mall is also hosting a Spooktacular Costume Contest from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23 at Bahama Breeze in the restaurant courtyard, with children decorating a Halloween bag and costume contests for infants to 12-year-olds. All participating children will receive a free Bahama Breeze Kids Meal. Call: 813-661-6255.
• A trunk and treat, hayrides, candy and games will be featured when First United Methodist Church of Brandon, 121 N. Knights Ave., hosts its annual fall festival Oct. 27 from 5 to 7 p.m. Participants are asked to wear family-friendly costumes. Call: 813-689-4161.
• R&R Ranch, 9805 Bryant Road in Lithia, plans a Fall Festival from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2 with pony rides, a petting zoo, hayrides, pony/donkey-drawn cart rides and bounce houses for $10 per child and $2 for adults who wish to join in on the fun. The event will include pumpkin decorating, face painting, pony painting and concessions. Part of the proceeds will be donated to the R&R Ranch scholarship fund. The ranch also plans a Haunted Hayride from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26 with 25- to 35-minute rides costing $5. Daylight rides are safe for little ones with the “scary things” coming out only after the sun goes down. Call: 813-653-3819 / 813-661-1481.
Armed suspects fires gun during robbery at Brandon T-Mobile store
A gun was fired during a robbery at a T-Mobile store in Brandon last week when two men held up the store and customers.
The men entered the store at 815 W. Brandon Blvd. at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 18 with one brandishing a handgun and demanding cash and property from the three employees and two customers inside. The man fired one shot into the floor during the robbery. The pair exited through the back door of the business after taking an undisclosed amount of cash and other items.
The suspects were described as:
• A black male in his mid-30s, 5-feet 10 inches tall, weighing between 200 and 225 pounds with black hair and a pockmarked face. He was last seen wearing a black Nike baseball cap, dark sunglasses, and dark jacket over a dark gray shirt with black gloves, black pants and dark shoes.
• An Hispanic male in his early 30s, 5- to 6-feet tall, weighing between 225 and 250 pounds with black hair and a pot belly. He was last seen wearing a blue/orange baseball cap, dark sunglasses, gray jacket, black gloves, dark pants and black shoes.
Anyone with any information in the case is asked to call the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at 813-247-8200 or, to be eligible for a cash reward, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477). Anonymous reports can also be made online at www.crimestopperstb.com or by texting “CSTB plus your tip” to C-R-I-M-E-S (274637).
Man wearing ‘God Owns This’ shirt guilty of credit card fraud, detectives say
A man boasting a “God Owns This” shirt used stolen credit cards to buy electronics from two Brandon area stores last week, according to detectives from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
The suspect, a white male between 20 and 30 years old, sporting a red shirt with blue jean shorts and a black baseball cap, used the credit card to buy an Apple iPad Mini from a Valrico Wal-Mart Oct. 15.
He was seen a short time later using the same credit card to buy another iPad Mini at a Best Buy store in Brandon.
The suspect is believed to have driven a full-size white SUV, possibly a GMC or Chevy Tahoe.
Anyone with any information in the case is asked to call the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at 813-247-8200 or, to be eligible for a cash reward, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477). Anonymous reports can also be made online at www.crimestopperstb.com or by texting “CSTB plus your tip” to C-R-I-M-E-S (274637).