HOME INVASIONS ON THE RISE IN TALLAHASSEE

Officer: Increase Might Be a Matter of How the Crime Is Classified

Home-invasion robberies have been steadily increasing in Tallahassee
over the past couple of years.

There were 27 such robberies in 2005, 38 last year, and 42 through
mid-November of this year, according to David McCranie, spokesman for
the Tallahassee Police Department.

"The numbers speak for themselves that, yes, we have seen an
increase," said Sgt. Gary Bussell, supervisor of the Robbery Task
Force, which is made up of TPD detectives and Leon County Sheriff's
Office investigators.

The most recent incident happened 1 a.m. Wednesday at the Motel 6,
2738 N. Monroe St. Police reported that two men, one armed with a
gun, forced their way into a hotel room and demanded money and
jewelry. Emanuel Edwards Jr., 31, was arrested later that morning.

Police say they think a man they arrested in late October - Etiene
Hanon, also known as "Los" - committed as many as 10 home-invasion robberies.

"One person can make a huge difference because the numbers are so
small," McCranie said.

The increase might be a matter of how the officer classifies the
crime, Bussell said. There's a gray area between what's a
home-invasion robbery and what's an armed burglary of an occupied home.

Both are felonies that carry life sentences, but the latter is easier
to prove because you don't have to prove the intent to commit a
robbery, he said.

"We have put a number of people in jail for doing these home-invasion
robberies," Bussell said. "They will get some serious time as a
result of their crimes."

The vast majority of the home-invasion robberies are drug-related,
McCranie said.

"A lot of times what's said in the robberies is, 'Where's the dope?'" he said.

In some of the cases, the robber gets the wrong house, though. Also,
drug dealers at the street level are targets for robberies. They have
a lot of cash lying around because they don't put their profits in a
bank account, McCranie said.

"They think because you're involved in illegal activity, you're not
going to report this," he said.

Investigators always look at the possibility that the robberies are
gang-related.

"There's no doubt that there are home-invasions that are committed as
gang activity but they're very difficult to prove because gangs are
very elusive and secretive," McCranie said.