Published: Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009

Updated: Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009

Police searching for missing man

BRADENTON — The Bradenton Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a 67-year-old man who has gone missing.

Police say Raymond Ringholz, of Bradenton, was last seen by his relatives at his home on Oct. 21. Officers are trying to locate Ringholz to check his welfare, according to a Bradenton police report.

Ringholz was last seen wearing tan shorts and shirt, a tan Australian-style hat, and tan “Croc” shoes. Ringholz is 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs 165 pounds. He may be driving a 1999 black Honda Civic or Accord.

Anyone with information about Ringholz’s whereabouts can call Bradenton Police Detective Philip Waller at (941) 932-9328, or the police department at (941) 932-9300.

Authorities give parents bus stop warning

MANATEE — Authorities are still asking parents to keep their eye out for a man seen at two bus stops last week talking trying to talk to elementary school children about a puppy in possession.

Manatee County Sheriff’s Office detectives say they fielded two suspicious persons calls on Oct. 22 after seeing a man in a gray or green van trying to talk kids at the bus stop about a Chihuahua puppy in his possession.

The man was sighted at bus stops in the 300 block of 21st Street West, in Palmetto, and at Shenandoah Circle and State Road 64, in Ellenton between 7:30 and 9 a.m.

Sheriff’s spokesman Dave Bristow said the man has not been seen since, but urged parents to be vigilant to keep and eye on their children at bus stops and elsewhere.

“In this day and age people need to be vigilant all the time,” said Bristow. “But this was suspicious to us, so we still want to talk to this person.”

Bristow said the Manatee County School District sent out letters to parents and reverse phone calls with regard to the suspicious person.

Anyone who sees anything suspicious or has information about the man is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 747-3011, or Crimestoppers at (866) 634-TIPS.

Fisherman’s body recovered

A search crew from Coast Guard Station St. Petersburg, recovered the body of a man in Tampa Bay at 9:08 p.m. Tuesday after a three-hour search conducted by multiple law enforcement agencies.

At approximately 5:30 p.m., Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg received a report that a 35-year-old man had fallen overboard in the vicinity of Port Manatee.

At approximately 6 p.m., an HH60 helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater and a 25-foot response boat crew from Coast Guard Station St. Petersburg arrived onscene and began searching in conjunction with crews from Pinellas County Fire and Rescue, Hillsborough County Fire and Rescue, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation, and an Eckerd College rescue crew, according to a Coast Guard press release.

The body was located within the search area approximately two miles northeast of the Port Manatee channel.

The body was taken to Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg to be transferred to Hillsborough County.