Another 9 Mile Road Area Assault

February 21, 2009

Another assault on a young female has occurred in the 9 Mile Road area of Pensacola, but this time deputies caught their man.

At about 7 a.m. Friday, Escambia County Deputies responded to the Publix Shopping center at 9 Mile Road and University Parkway where a young female victim told deputies that she had packed her vehicle on the side of the grocery store. Before she could exit her car, a while male wearing only a T-shirt walked up to her vehicle, opened the door, grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him as if trying to get her to touch him, according to Sgt. Ted Roy with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies followed up on a possible tag number that was provided by a witness, and that led them to their suspect.

keithsmith.jpgKeith William Smith, 44, of Pensacola was arrested at a relative’s home about noon Friday. Deputy Phillip Martin, who took the original report, went to a residence in the Fox Run subdivision off 9 Mile Road to follow up on the tag number. At the residence, the owner of the vehicle stated that she had no driven the vehicle, but a relative who was staying with her had driven it. Contact was made with Smith, and he matched the physical description given by the victim and witnesses.

Smith said he had driven the vehicle, but denied the incident, Roy said. The victim positively identified Smith as the man that attacked her.

The incident is not believed to be connected to the cop impersonator incidents that have occurred in the past few weeks in the area.

The University of West Florida Police were notified of the incident due to the proximity to the campus and then issued an “Argo Alert” to student and faculty who have signed up for the service. An E-mail was also sent out to students and faculty.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News