Downtown Safer than St. John's Town Center?

[Jerry Moran]

I would have walked the woman and her kid to her car...  

As more of this type of crime occurs in Duval's "safe areas", so will the image of Downtown Jacksonville improve.

Personally, I think the woman deserves some sort of punishment for patronizing P.F. Chang's and the Cheese Cake Factory, beyond indigestion and being kidnapped.  Maybe in Hell, forked tongued devils with cloven hooves, will shovel by pitch forks a never ending river of ice cold,  low sodium soy sauce laced, previously frozen, chocolate chip cheese cake down her throat (with artificial strawberry sauce on the side)!

Good for her that she spotted the perp and had the presence of mind to call the JSO.  Next outing, maybe try Downtown?

Mother, Child Kidnapped At Town Center
Victim Helped In Suspect's Arrest

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A mother and daughter night out turned terrifying when they said they were kidnapped at gunpoint at the St. Johns Town Center.

A woman, who had asked not to be identified, said her 9-year-old daughter is still terrified about what happened.

"I thought, 'This can't be real,'" she said. "My first thought was, 'Change the channel, this is a movie or something,' but it was very real."

She said she had just finished a nice dinner with her daughter at the P.F. Chang's restaurant Friday night. She said as she and her daughter were walking back to their car, a woman put a gun to her child's back.

"She came behind my daughter, pushed her in with a gun said 'scoot over,' got in the car and said we were going to take her to ATMs and get out cash and give her the cash," the victim said.

Police later identified the suspect as 21-year-old Ashley Sales. Investigators said Sales demanded the victim to drive to the ATM and take out as much cash as she could.

"She was on the phone the entire time. She was talking to someone in Creole said she wasn't happy with that and it wasn't enough," the victim said. "Made us drive to the Wachovia on Beach and St. Johns Bluff to see if we could get money out of that. Luckily at that point, Bank of America shut off my ATM card. I couldn't use it anymore, couldn't give her any more money."

The victim said Sales made her drive her where she wanted to go. Sales then took the keys and the battery from her cell phone and threw them into the woods and took off, letting the victim and her daughter go unharmed.

Ashley Sales, 21, was charged with kidnapping and armed robbery. She is being held on no bond.
In a bizarre twist of fate, that encounter was not the last time the victim or her daughter would see their alleged attacker. Just four days later, on her daughter's ninth birthday, the victim returned to the Town Center. The victim said her daughter wanted to face her fears.

"So we went to The Cheesecake Factory and sat outside. My mom and dad were visiting. We sat outside, we finished eating and paid our bill. That woman walked by again and I recognized her immediately and so did my daughter. It was unbelievable," she said.

The victim followed Sales and called police, who later caught up with the suspect. She said she has a message all shoppers need to hear.

"My main thing is you have to be aware of what makes you a victim. Be aware that just because it's a nice shopping center, there are still bad people trying to get away with whatever they can and they're not afraid to hurt a little child," she said.

Sales was charged with two counts of kidnapping and one count of armed robbery. She is being held at the Duval County Jail with no bond.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/23852369/detail.html

[subro]

Personally, I think the woman deserves some sort of punishment for patronizing P.F. Chang's and the Cheese Cake Factory, beyond indigestion and being kidnapped.  Maybe in Hell, forked tongued devils with cloven hooves, will shovel by pitch forks a never ending river of ice cold,  low sodium soy sauce laced, previously frozen, chocolate chip cheese cake down her throat (with artificial strawberry sauce on the side)!

So you're saying that people who go to the Cheesecake factory deserve to be kidnapped at gunpoint... Nice perspective on life. Tongue in cheek or not, it's not funny.

[copperfiend]

Good for her that she spotted the perp and had the presence of mind to call the JSO.  Next outing, maybe try Downtown?

No. Just valet next time.

[jtwestside]

I don't know if the lack of victims downtown = safer. (I'm saying there is no one downtown to rob, because there is no reason for anyone to be there ... etc etc.) With that being said, almost every time I talk to someone about development downtown I bring up something I saw on here once where there was an overlay of St John's Town Center over Downtown ... it really put the potential into perspective. Maybe it was another mall, but when I tell it to others it was St John's Town Center. There was another story about building a Union/State St. retail distinct and about how that's one of the most traveled corridors in the city but no one stops.  Just things to consider when I become king. Anyway ... carry on.

[buckethead]

When fishing, one needs to go where there are fish, in order to have success.

Likewise, predators need to go where the potential prey is. SJTC or DT, doesn't matter. What matters to predators is the potential for prey. Get the volume of blissful suburbanites downtown that currently frequent SJTC, and the same potential will exist for similar activity.

[Duke]

Personally, I think the woman deserves some sort of punishment for patronizing P.F. Chang's and the Cheese Cake Factory, beyond indigestion and being kidnapped.  Maybe in Hell, forked tongued devils with cloven hooves, will shovel by pitch forks a never ending river of ice cold,  low sodium soy sauce laced, previously frozen, chocolate chip cheese cake down her throat (with artificial strawberry sauce on the side)!

So you're saying that people who go to the Cheesecake factory deserve to be kidnapped at gunpoint... Nice perspective on life. Tongue in cheek or not, it's not funny.

I agree; completely unnecessary and definitely not funny. 

As for the safety issue, I agree with JT and buckethead.  There's hardly anyone in DT for prey unless you want to kidnap and rob a homeless person and what good is that.  The folks at SJTC and the Avenues, and even the OP Mall are targets because they're shoppers.  They have money. 

And lets face facts, crimes happen all over jacksonville.  There really is no such thing as a "safe" side of town.  Things happen on the southside, westside, northside, the beaches, and OP.  People just need to be vigilant and wary of their environment including the people around them.  Sounds paranoid, but you almost have to be.

[jandar]

Ive had friends get shot at Orange Park mall, at Regency, and one was robbed not long after the avenues opened.

Crime happens anywhere/everywhere.

Sorry for sounding callous, but I laugh when I hear people being shocked by crime in a certain neighborhood. Why rob the poor? Go to the rich/safe neighborhoods and rob. More money.

I've been robbed twice while looking at my driveway in Cedar Hills years ago.
I was never threatened while living off of Forbes st in Riverside.
I lived off of Dunn ave as a kid and never had issues.

[Keith-N-Jax]

Jandar,,this ^^^^

[TheProfessor]

Stealing from the rich has been occurring since the beginning of time.  People want what they don't have.

[cayohueso]

Predators are everywhere and you do need to be somewhat paranoid. It's Jacksonville for cryin out loud. But speaking as a Dad and a veteran...if I see you again after you pull a gun on my KID...let's just say I have a few moments of muscle memory left over from a hot and sandy place that I would love to show you.

[Burn to Shine]

Most of the time I have the pleasure of walking around with a rather large man who I would assume most criminals would avoid however I have noticed when walking alone I get cat calls and horn blows on a regular basis.  One guy even pulled over and asked me if I needed a ride. 

I don't understand why it's so weird for someone to be walking in Jacksonville and NOT want a ride from a creep.  It's really starting to freak me out.  I'm not used to it.  And I sure as hell don't like it.

If some crazy crack bitch puts a gun to my child's back...she'd better hope she can run fast.  Good luck with that honey.  I will do my best to fight back BEFORE getting into a car with anyone.  Once you get in the car...it's probably not going to be good.

[Burn to Shine]

Personally, I think the woman deserves some sort of punishment for patronizing P.F. Chang's and the Cheese Cake Factory, beyond indigestion and being kidnapped.  Maybe in Hell, forked tongued devils with cloven hooves, will shovel by pitch forks a never ending river of ice cold,  low sodium soy sauce laced, previously frozen, chocolate chip cheese cake down her throat (with artificial strawberry sauce on the side)!

PS:  Really?  Okay.

[north miami]

In fact, "good" or "better" areas may induce a sense of false safety,complacency.

Note so many attacks are the result of a perp sneaking up.If you are truly aware,this will not happen nearly as often.That means a stroll across any parking lot is not a mindless event-it's really like in the cops & robbers shows.Make awareness and some level of self defense an empowerment and habit.
No one profiles quite like the bad guys.Learn what profiles they are drawn to.

Over the years I have simply refrained from going to certain areas(...feeling more & more like dreaded Miami!...).And I am not one to cringe in fear.

Jerry's comments regarding table fare are ahead of the times.Fact is,lot's of junk.

Also a rambling note on the names of Places.Would SJTC be less appealing if named Duval TC??

[duvaldude08]

I just read the article on News4jax.com. Its just a prime example of how crime happends EVERYWHERE. Not just on one particular side of town and definately not just in Jacksonville. There are places WAYYY worse off than Jacksonville is. Crime is a reality people. It's going to happen. And if you ask me, the St johns town center and places similar are a prime target. People that shop there usually have a little more money to spend, and Im sure criminals target that. It may sound funny, but I think I feel safer in Gateway right now. LMAO

[finehoe]

Stealing from the rich has been occurring since the beginning of time.  People want what they don't have.

Statistically speaking, the less-well-off are more likely to be the victim of a crime than the rich.