Florida Man ‘Austin Powers’ Arrested For Molesting Minor After Meeting Parents
A man from St. Petersburg, Florida named Austin Powers was arrested this week for allegedly molesting a 14-year-old girl. Austin Lawrence Powers, 26, was arrested Wednesday and charged with traveling to meet a minor and lewd and lascivious molestation. Powers was pretending to be the minor’s friend’s parent to get her alone. He even met with the girl’s parents to get her to spend the night! Powers is a registered sex offender in Florida, making things so much worse.
How Austin Powers Was Arrested After Molesting The 14-Year-Old Girl:
According to WFLA the Largo Police Department, responded in June after the 14-year-old was said to have run away. Apparently, the girl had run away after her parents found out she was having a secret relationship. She was secretly talking with him on the social media app Snapchat. Powers quietly picked up the girl one time already but was desperate to see her again. He allegedly came up with a new plan! Powers posed as the girl’s friend’s father! He was able to enter their residence and meet the victim’s parents. That’s when he told the teen’s mother he would drive the girl to his home to play with his daughter.
According to Largo Police, this isn’t his first time trying to do this! Apparently, he was previously arrested in 2016 in Plant City for doing the same thing. “Powers was convicted in 2017 of two counts of traveling to meet with a minor to commit an unlawful sexual offense and two counts of lewd or lascivious Battery with a victim between the ages of 12 and 15.” Powers hasn’t been able to get out of jail! As a matter of fact, he remains in the Pinellas County Jail, with bail set at $350,000! It looks like the police and the state is taking this situation very seriously
Top 10 Vehicles Targeted For Catalytic Converter Theft In Florida
Here are the top 10 vehicles targeted for catalytic converter theft in Florida. Throughout the state of Florida there is a new theft epidemic on the rise and that is catalytic converters. To be honest, it makes sense as there are nearly 22 million people living in Florida. It shouldn’t come as a surprise since some of the models on this list are the most popular cars in the state, but what are Florida lawmakers doing to help curb this?
There is a new law being proposed in Florida that would make it a third degree felony to buy, possess or sell any stolen catalytic converters. Thieves can take the “cats” (catalytic converter) in about a minute and this bill will head to the House for a vote.
Carfax released the list of the 10 top vehicles targeted for catalytic converter theft in Florida and all regions of the United States.
What makes catalytic converters a hot target?
Catalytic converters contain metals such as rhodium, palladium, and platinum which can be turned around and sold for thousands of dollars. To put this into perspective, currently (at the time of writing this) rhodium is selling for $4,200.00 and gold is selling for $1913.00.
How can you tell if your catalytic converter has been stolen?
If someone does steal your catalytic converter, you’ll know immediately because it will be very loud! The catalytic converter passes air from the engine and out through the muffler. You may also experience darker exhaust and you will might a warning light on the dash telling you something isn’t right.
What can you do to prevent your catalytic converter from theft?
One of the best ways to keep you and your vehicle safe from thieves is to know your surroundings. Remember to park your vehicles in a well lit area especially if you have fleet vehicles for business. You can even install a catalytic converter anti theft device and if you want to take that extra step. Carfax suggests etching you VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) on the converter itself.
Now that we’ve given some background on what you can do to prevent your vehicles’ catalytic converters from theft, lets get into this list on the top 10 vehicles targeted for catalytic converter theft in Florida.
Meredith’s outgoing personality has led to many other opportunities including being featured in the NY Post twice, Huffington Post, reality television shows, commercials, and magazines, and even earned a spot-on Dancing with the Stars Tampa edition. In her spare time, Meredith loves showing her support with local charities by hosting and attending community events and spending time with her family and friends. You can read Meredith’s content about local Tampa restaurants, crazy Florida man/woman stories, and recommendations of things-to-do.
