TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Land O' Lakes Woman's Lunch Business Was Burglary, Deputies Say

ADVERTISEMENT

By STEPHEN THOMPSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 4, 2008

Updated: 06/04/2008 04:00 pm

Lisa Anne Williams

OLDSMAR - A Land O' Lakes woman has been arrested on charges she broke into several homes in the Oldsmar area during her lunch breaks, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

Lisa Anne Williams, 38, of 1734 Tinsmith Circle, was taken into custody Tuesday after deputies conducting surveillance in a targeted neighborhood noticed her acting suspiciously, Sgt. Jim Bordner said.

The break-ins occurred from Thursday through Monday, Bordner said. During her lunch breaks, Williams would drive to a neighborhood close to her place of employment and randomly select a home to burglarize, Bordner said.

In her business attire, the woman would approach the front door of the house, ring the bell or knock and, if no one answered, pry open the front door or some other entryway, Bordner said. Once inside, she would swipe prescription medication, jewelry and small electronics, Bordner said.

Then she would return to work and resume making sales by telephone, Bordner said.

Detectives say they had a break in the case Friday when Williams broke into a home where a resident who had been napping confronted her. She took off, but the resident and another witness got a glimpse of the license plate on Williams' car and were able to give authorities a partial tag number.

Deputies began surveillance in the Oldsmar area Tuesday, Bordner said. About noon, Williams was observed entering The Woods subdivision in a gray 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser that matched the witnesses' description, he said. The vehicle had no license plate displayed. A piece of paper with the words "lost tag" was attached to the inside of the rear window, Bordner said.

Deputies said they watched as Williams approached a home and rang the doorbell. When a child answered the door, Williams asked to speak with a specific woman, and she left without incident when told that the woman did not live there, Bordner said.

Deputies stopped her nearby as she began to leave the neighborhood. Inside the PT Cruiser they found a large screwdriver along with drugs from previous burglaries – propoxyphene, methadone, and methylphen, according to authorities.

Williams told investigators she was involved in several burglaries in Pinellas County, Bordner said. She also told them she removed the tag from her car to conceal her identity and avoid arrest, he said.

Burglary detectives then met with their counterparts from the Pasco County Sheriff's Office at Williams' home, Bordner said. There, detectives recovered what they estimated to be thousands of stolen items, including prescription medication, jewelry, small electronics and a firearm, he said.

Williams was arrested on one count of loitering and prowling, three counts of residential burglary, and three counts of possession of controlled substances. Additional charges are pending in both counties, authorities said.

According to arrest affidavits filed in Pinellas County, Williams stole methadone and Topamax at one home; at another, she stole more than $20,000 in jewelry, credit cards and cash; and in the third, she stole a Nintendo Wii video game console, an iPod and several pieces of jewelry.

Williams is thought to have been involved in numerous other residential burglaries in Pinellas and Pasco counties. Detectives from both sheriff's offices are working together as the investigations continue.

Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at (727) 451-2336 or spthompson@tampatrib.com.

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT