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Hernando Today

Man Charged With Impersonating An Officer

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By HERNANDO TODAY STAFF

Published: February 11, 2009

BROOKSVILLE - A man who tried to enter a woman's car under the guise of an undercover officer was arrested Monday.

Deputies say the suspect, Paul Peter Okula, approached a 25-year-old Floral City woman on Jan. 30 as she sat in her car at Weeki Wachee Village Plaza. Okula put a finger to his lips, indicating he wanted her to be quiet, and told her that he was an undercover officer, according to the sheriff's office.

As he talked with the woman, Okula tried to open the car door but the victim had already locked it. "Fearing that something bad was going to happen," the woman drove away, but she looked back in time to see the suspect climb into a gold Mercedes, a news release states.

A crime stoppers tip came in almost immediately after the media reported the incident, which led a deputy to Okula's house at 12083 Fairway Ave. in Brooksville. The deputy found a 1983 gold Mercedes partially hidden by shrubbery behind the house, so he knocked on the door and talked with Okula.

Okula, 51, reportedly changed his story and alibi several times, which led to his arrest on a charge of impersonation of a law enforcement officer.

DNA Cracks Case After A Year

SPRING HILL - DNA testing led detectives to a burglary suspect on Tuesday, almost a year after a break-in at a Spring Hill home.

Detectives determined that the Ansley Street burglary happened sometime between Dec. 12, 2007, and March 2, 2008, but suspects were few. All they had was the blood found in a sink, so it was collected and sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for analysis.

Months later, technicians matched it to someone already in Florida's DNA database: Fred Grenz, according to a report. When detectives questioned Grenz, he reportedly admitted to breaking a window in the house and cutting his arm, but he couldn't remember much more because he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time.

The detective said Grenz showed him the resulting scar from his injuries. Grenz, 30, was charged with burglary of a structure.

Juveniles Charged With Grand Theft

SPRING HILL - A teenager with a grudge against her aunt and uncle stole more than $20,000 in goods from their house with the intention of selling the loot for money, deputies say.

The suspect lives with the victims and invited her two accomplices inside the Spring Hill home so they could steal expensive jewelry, watches and earrings, an affidavit states.

When law enforcement got involved, though, the suspects panicked and hid the goods in a neighbor's yard. All three eventually confessed to the crime and were charged as juveniles with grand theft.

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