A tip led police to arrest Seminole Heights suspect. Tipsters help solve crimes in Manatee County, too

Whether it’s a serial killer ravaging a neighborhood like Seminole Heights, or a person who snatched an elderly woman’s purse on the street — tips can make or break a case.

They come in all forms and are sent to all kinds of places.

Many come through Crime Stoppers, a national organization with local affiliates around the country. Others may be handed over directly to law enforcement agencies.

Sometimes, they are phone calls. Other times, it’s an in-person account on the street.

For a few tipsters, they prefer to send their tips online or through a phone app.

Regardless of how these pieces of information come together, one constant remains: Tips are vitally important.

“Many cases are made because of the information we get from the public,” said Dave Bristow, spokesman for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. “We need their help. It’s been a great asset.”

Take the Seminole Heights case.

After 51 days of trying to find the person responsible for fatally shooting four people since the beginning of October, it was a tip that ultimately led to the suspect’s arrest.

Howell Emanuel Donaldson III, 24, was arrested Tuesday and is being charged for the four murders, at least partially because his co-worker at a Tampa McDonald’s tipped off police that Donaldson had given him a gun inside a bag and said he was going to leave Florida.

Now, police have the gun. They say they’ve confirmed it was the same one used in all four shootings and used cellphone tower data to confirm Donaldson’s phone was in the area on the days and times of each of the killings.

Is his arrest thanks to just one tip? Of course not. Weeks of police poring through the neighborhood, conducting interviews, examining surveillance video and another 5,000 tips all played a role leading to Tuesday’s arrest.

But without all those tips, and particularly that last one, how long would it have taken for Donaldson to be found? We will never know.

Do thousands of tips — like in the Seminole Heights investigation — slow down police work? Bristow says no.

“We invite all information,” he said, “whether you think it’s trivial or not, no matter what it is, tell us and then we will decide.”

But Frank Brunner, the executive director of Crime Stoppers in Manatee County, says there are, on occasion, those select few bogus tips that can clog up the system, especially in big cases.

“There are some folks who are looking for a quick payday, and in some cases they are just trying to make a guess,” Brunner said. “If the information they provide is based on a hunch, with no factual ground or evidence, things like that are not helpful.”

But Brunner was also quick to say that those are exceptionally “bad” tips.

When in doubt, say something

If people legitimately think their information is helpful, whether it’s something they saw or overheard that didn’t sit right, or appeared out of place, law enforcement wants to know about it.

Even if it’s a detail a resident considers insignificant or unimportant, Brunner said, and isn’t information they pulled out of the air: Say something.

“It’s up to the discretion of the tipster,” Brunner said. “But if someone truly knows something, even if it winds up not being helpful, when in doubt make the call.”

But with a national organization like Crime Stoppers, and countless agencies working countless cases, where do all the tips go? How are they processed?

Brunner says it’s really not that complicated.

When reporting a tip to Crime Stoppers, it’s important to remember that the entire process is anonymous, he said, even down to when they hand the tip over to the appropriate law enforcement agency.

No one has to know your name

Crime Stoppers is able to raise reward money because they are a private organization that works with law enforcement, but is not law enforcement themselves. Because Crime Stoppers is a private nonprofit organization, it is not required to share any personal information about the tipster with law enforcement.

“It’s important folks know that when they are calling or contacting Crime Stoppers, they are not dealing directly with law enforcement,” Brunner said. “People are concerned their identity will get compromised, but it won’t.”

In over 25 years of Manatee County Crime Stoppers, Brunner said, not one tipster’s identity has ever been compromised.

People are often scared to give up information, especially if it’s related to a violent crime or has to do with someone they know. That’s why Brunner said it’s vital for people to know they will be safe.

There are times, though, when tipsters decide to cooperate directly with police or not necessarily remain anonymous. These choices are completely up to the tipster.

Through Crime Stoppers, tipsters have three ways to send a tip.

They can call the organization’s 24-hour tip line, 1-866-634-8477, which is based in a call center and is available seven days a week, Brunner said. A second option is to submit a tip online via the Crime Stoppers website.

The third, and lesser-known service, is through a free phone app called P3 Tips that various agencies, including Crime Stoppers, take part in.

And the app is particularly useful, Brunner says.

In today’s world, everyone always has their cell phones in tow. A lot of times, people see crimes unfolding in front of them, with just their phones in hand.

Through the app, a person can record video that is sent via livestream directly to Crime Stoppers, or the agency they select. Users can also choose to type out what they’re seeing if they are too close to speak on the phone, or uncomfortable with recording or snapping photos.

The app works nationwide and allows the user to select the state, city, and then the agency or organization they wish to send the tip to.

Since the app is easy to navigate for out-of-towners who may not know the area as well as locals, it is particularly helpful for Manatee County, which sees a lot of tourists and snowbirds.

When tips go through Crime Stoppers, tipsters are given a code they can use to check if their tip was helpful, and in some cases, eligible for a reward.

For Crime Stoppers, rewards are only given out when the tip — one that was made directly through the organization — led to an arrest.

But for lots of tipsters, the process can be long and tiring, with many not knowing if their tip was useful, if it was followed up on, or if they are in line for a reward.

Officials say that’s just part of it.

Sometimes cases take a long time, and a tipster might not receive a reward for months. In other cases, it could only take weeks.

A concerned tipster, officials said, is welcome to call back or contact the agency again if they believe their information is timely, particularly important, or possibly overlooked.

And while many tipsters claim their tip fell through the cracks, officials say it isn’t likely, but it doesn’t hurt to double-check.

The process may be weary and, at times, complicated. Sometimes it’s even a little scary.

We often don’t know what small piece of the puzzle an investigation may be waiting for to catch a burglar, rapist, or even serial killer.

And you may have it.

This story was originally published November 29, 2017 at 2:09 PM with the headline "A tip led police to arrest Seminole Heights suspect. Tipsters help solve crimes in Manatee County, too."