TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Polk Deputy, Hound Find Missing 12-Year-Old

ADVERTISEMENT

TBO.com

Published: February 15, 2008

A deputy and her dog receive the credit for the happy ending in the case of a missing 12-year-old boy who moved from Belize to Lakeland two weeks ago.

  Jerome D. Williams

Deputy Tammy Wagner and her bloodhound, Ella, found Jerome Williams about 10:15 this morning in a wooded area near his home.

Williams, of 1520 S. Westgate Ave., Lakeland, had been last seen by his family about 5:30 p.m. Thursday, said Polk County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Donna Wood.

Jerome's father, Jerry Williams, 35, told his son he was going to the store. He instructed Jerome to stay home with a younger sibling, Wood said.

Soon after his father left, Jerome told his sibling he was going to visit a relative and left on his bicycle. He had not returned by the time his father and stepmother, Norma, who had been at work, got home. Jerry Williams found the boy's bicycle nearby, Wood said.

When he was living in Belize, Jerome sometimes left his home to visit relatives, Wood said, but there is no indication he has other relatives in the area.

Tracking dogs and deputies in the air searched for Jerome throughout the night, Wood said.

Jerome had been living with his mother in Belize and moved to the United States to be with his father about two weeks ago. He had just begun to make friends.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT