Key West police Wednesday caught a Bradenton man wanted for rape and kidnaping. Larry Wilder, Jr., 37, applied for a job Wednesday morning at a Duval Street shop. The shop owner checked a reference on Wilder's job application and found out Wilder was wanted in Sarasota for rape and kidnaping. The Sarasota Police Department called Key West police with more information, including a description of his car, an orange Isuzu. It was broadcast over police radios. Officer Alvaro Rodriguez saw the car right in front of him in traffic on Southard St.
He turned on his overhead lights to pull Wilder over, but Wilder took off up Whitehead St. During a brief chase, Wilder's car was blocked by a dump truck on Simonton St. He crashed into a parked van trying to get around it. Wilder jumped out of the car and ran. Rodriguez and Officer Eric Wishe chased him on foot, catching up to him in a Simonton St. trailer park. Wilder was arrested for the felony warrant, plus charges for fleeing and eluding a police officer, reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident with damage.
Sarasota will extradite him on the rape and kidnaping charges.
With the departure of former NAACP President Peggy Ward-Grant, sources say that former city commissioner Emery Major has been asked to take over. Contacted by telephone this week, he confirmed that friends had asked him to consider heading the organization.
So far, only two city commissioners have released the results of their drug tests— Tom Oosterhoudt and Harry Bethel. Commissioner Merili McCoy told KWTN that she would release her report and recommend that all the commissioners do the same.