By Rita Farlow, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, October 14, 2010
DUNEDIN — A sharp-eyed off-duty detective may have prevented a sex crime when he recognized a sex offender stealing candy and children's sticker books at a Dunedin Publix on Wednesday night, authorities said.
The man was wearing a deputy's badge and had a stun gun in his car, which resembled a police cruiser, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. Deputies also found dating advertisements and ads placed on Craigslist by women seeking a male roommate.
Thomas Manning Hook, 43, was charged with petit theft and unlawful use of a police badge. He was also arrested on an outstanding Polk County warrant for failure to appear on a charge of driving while license suspended or revoked.
Hook, of 2670 N McMullen-Booth Road, No. 1211, Clearwater, was convicted of a sex offense and other crimes in South Carolina in 1992, the Sheriff's Office said.
Hook moved to Clearwater this summer. When he arrived, he did an intake interview with Detective John Grubb, who works for the Sheriff department's sexual predator/offender tracking unit. Detectives do those interviews so they'll be familiar with the sex offenders in their communities.
That's why Detective Grubb took notice when Hook walked into the Publix at 1491 Main St. about 8 p.m. Grubb was off-duty. He'd just picked up some bananas and zucchini and was waiting at the pharmacy for a prescription for his boxer, Maxine. He recognized Hook right away.
Hook had lied to him during the intake interview, Grubb said later. Hook had tried to explain away the sex crime on his record, but Grubb ordered the police report from South Carolina. The report arrived on Friday. It said Hook had tried to force a woman into a sex act while impersonating an officer.
Then Grubb noticed something else: Hook was wearing a sheriff's badge clipped to his belt.
He thought: This guy has to be stopped.
Grubb left his cart, went outside and waited for Hook to come out.
Hook walked out of the Publix carrying Halloween candy, greeting cards for children, five sticker books and no receipt.
Grubb stopped Hook and arrested him without incident, the Sheriff's Office said.
Hook's vehicle, a white Ford Crown Victoria similar to a law enforcement cruiser, was in the store parking lot. When deputies searched the car, they found the stun gun and an air gun.
The air gun's red tip had been removed, which made it look like a 9mm semiautomatic firearm.
Deputies also found dating advertisements and Craigslist ads.
Hook was convicted in South Carolina in 1992 on charges of criminal sexual conduct, impersonating a police officer, kidnapping and unlawful possession of a firearm, the Sheriff's Office said.
The badge Hook was wearing on his waist was an authentic sheriff's badge from Manatee County. It is unclear how he obtained it.
Because of the items in Hook's possession and his sexual offender history, detectives said they believe he may have been planning a crime.
"The fear is that he is, after all these years, leading others to believe he's a law enforcement officer," Grubb said. "There can't be any good explanation. It can only be a bad thing for him."
Hook was being held in the Pinellas County Jail in lieu of $20,300 bail.
The Sheriff's Office is asking anyone with information about Hook to call Grubb at (727) 582-6200.