Sheriff`s Corner

Hi everyone and welcome to the Sheriff's Corner. This column will be the last column before the August 31st election. I hope you all remember to vote for the candidate you believe in and know will do the job.

Next, I'd like to talk to you about a problem that has come to our attention. We have had a number of occurrences of panhandling in the past few weeks. If you didn't know, panhandling generally refers to the act of stopping people on the street or in public places and asking for money.

Aggressive panhandling is the use of threat or intimidation when asking for money. Frequently, those who engage in aggressive panhandling are transient or homeless people.

Remember that any stranger who approaches you on the street should be viewed with caution, regardless of their appearance. Also never display your money or reveal where you keep it to anyone. Someone asking for change or another observer may be tempted to forcibly demand that you give up all your cash. Please report any confrontation that you have with someone who physically or verbally forces you to give them money. Report the incident immediately to us or other law enforcement agencies.

Now here's why. The definition of the crime of robbery is as follows" "Robbery means the taking of money or other property which may be the subject of larceny from the person or custody of another, with intent to either permanently or temporarily deprive the person or the owner of the money or other property, when in the course of the taking there is the use of force, violence, assault (threats), or putting in fear."

They sound very similar. Robbery is a serious felony. I hope you have a great week. Take care.