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Wrench-Wielding Septuagenarian Thwarts Robbery

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TBO Staff Report

Published: May 10, 2008

SEMINOLE A would-be burglar's knife was no match Saturday morning for Walter Funk's wrench and pluck, the Pinellas sheriff's office reported.

Funk, 77, used his hands and wrench to subdue 22 year-old Nicole Mason-Suarez, who had broken into Funk's 123rd Street home, deputies reported. Funk hit the young woman with a wrench and held her down long enough for deputies to arrive, police said.

Deputies gave the following account of the drama, which began to unfold about 9 a.m., when Funk's 81-year-old wife Ingebord heard strange noises in the house:

As he investigated, Walter Funk found Mason-Suarez inside. He told his wife lock to herself in her bedroom and call 911. And then he grabbed Mason-Suarez as she tried to leave.

During the struggle, he managed to grab a wrench and hit the woman with it. Mason-Suarez, who was wearing rubber gloves, reached into her bag and pulled out a knife. But Funk managed to wrest it away from her. The struggle moved out the patio and pool area of the home, and Funk eventually overpowered her.

When deputies arrived, Funk had the woman pinned to the ground.

Funk refused medical treatment at the scene and said he would drive himself to the hospital.

Mason-Suarez was arrested on charges of armed burglary, battery on a person over 65 and possession of a burglary tool. She was transported to Suncoast Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

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