Arrest Record | Comment | News Channel 8 Video

BY HOWARD ALTMAN
The Tampa Tribune

TAMPA - University of South Florida police arrested a 47-year-old Palm Harbor man they say was found sleeping in a school parking lot with a handgun next to him early this morning.

Cloal Lang Leatherman was charged with one count of possessing a weapon on school property. Leatherman has no affiliation with the school and it was unclear what he was doing on campus, said USF Police spokeswoman Lt. Meg Ross.

“Preventing what happened at Virginia Tech is difficult, but we are prepared to handle anything that comes along,” Ross said.

A USF police officer found Leatherman sleeping in his vehicle at about 3:58 a.m., according to Ross.

Aside from the Rossi .38 caliber handgun found next to him, Leatherman had a Snake Charmer .410 shotgun, eight shells, other ammunition and a survival knife with him, Ross said.
Leatherman is being held at the Orient Road Jail on $2,000 bond, according to jail records.

Leatherman had just started a new job as an estimator for Aricon Group, a Tampa construction company, said Carlos Motathey, an Aricon office administrator.

“This is news to me,” said Motathey.

Leatherman, he said, was supposed to be at a doctor’s appointment this morning for heart problems.

“Oh my God,” said Motathey. “That is the wrong place to be sleeping.”

Motathey said Leatherman was hired only about three weeks ago and spent most of his time in the field.

“I really don’t know him that well,” he said.

Stay with TBO.com for developments.

Editor Howard Altman can be reached at (813) 259-7629 or haltman@tampatrib.com

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