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Man impersonates being firefighter for free food, drinks

St. Petersburg, Florida -- A man was arrested at his Clearwater home Wednesday morning on charges he impersonated a firefighter so he could get free food and drinks at various locations, including All Children's Hospital.

St. Pete Police say 22-year-old Robert Spalla represented himself to employees at All Children's Hospital as a firefighter who has been with the St. Pete Fire Department for the past five years.

During their interactions with Spalla, hospital employees told police he would ask for special privileges such as food vouchers or gas cards.

Gaping gator stuck in storm drain is freed

Seminole, Florida -- An 8-foot alligator lurking in a storm drain just blocks from an elementary school got stuck there and was freed by a rescue force of deputies, wildlife officers and citizens, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said.

A passerby saw the gator's toothy head poking out of an opening of roadway storm drain Friday afternoon. The gator was stuck, and not liking it one bit.

Pictures: Alligators wrangled, hunted around Florida

Year in Review: Weird, weird Florida...

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- In 2012, Florida was a state where a lifeguard got
fired for saving a life, a woman got arrested for riding a manatee and a
man repeatedly used 911 as a phone sex service.

Think that's weird? It gets worse and more tragic.

Man barricades himself in bathroom during robbery

Largo, Florida -- Largo Police have arrested a man who robbed a Walgreens pharmacy at gunpoint and then barricaded himself in the store's bathroom Tuesday.

Police say they received a report of an armed robbery in progress at the Walgreens in the 2200 block of East Bay Drive.

A witness told police the man, later identified as 27-year-old Christopher Degrande, robbed the store's pharmacy of a bottle of pills at gunpoint and then went to the bathroom with what looked like a soda bottle full of gasoline where he remained until police arrived.

Red light runners Vol 10.

Check out these red light runners from around the bay area.

Can't watch the video? Click here for photos

FIND: Red light cameras are in your area

More Red light runners:

Puppeteer pleads not guilty to child porn charges

Largo, Florida -- The 57-year-old man arrested in July on charges he planned to kidnap and cannibalize a boy at his church pleaded not guilty to child porn charges in U.S. District Court in Tampa Friday.

Ronald Brown, 57, was arrested back in July after investigators uncovered the Internet chats between him and a Kansas man

Thieves make off with thousands in shoes

Largo, Florida -- Largo Police are searching for a trio of shoe thieves who stole thousands of dollars worth of shoes on July 21.

Police say the three men broke into the Rack Room Shoes at Largo Mall around 2:30 a.m. and stole a large amount of shoes. 

Photo Gallery: Rack Room Shoes thieves

Similar burglaries have also been reported in St. Petersburg and Pinellas Park.

The suspects are described below: