Crime & Safety
Gold Medal Stolen from Bradenton Olympian
A track and field sprint athlete had his 2012 gold Olympic medal stolen from his vehicle in front of his home in Bradenton Thursday, according to the Bradenton Police Department.
Demitrius Pinder, 24, won the medal for his 400 meter relay sprint at the London Olympics, with his Bahamas team of four beating the national record.
Pinder reported the medal stolen from the center console of his vehicle while it was parked outside his home on the 4600 block of 66th Street West in Bradenton, according to a report.
He told authorities that he always locks his vehicle, but there was no sign of forced entry a report said. Pinder said he last saw the medal around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, but noticed the medal and some papers missing from the vehicle when he got into it the next morning.
Find out what's happening in Bradentonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The medal is described as being 24-karat gold and strung from a purple lanyard. The medal also has a "4x400m" inscribed on the bottom portion of the front side along with a "lady figure" on the front.
Anyone having information is asked to call Bradenton Police Detective Dennis French at 941-932-9300, or to remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000, call Crime Stoppers (toll free) at 1-866-634-8477 (TIPS) or send an anonymous E-Tip thru the web at www.manateecrimestoppers.com.
Find out what's happening in Bradentonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Pinder, who was born in Grand Bahama, has a long career of track and field achievements, he broke the 400 meter indoor Bahamian national record at the 2011 NCAA Division Championships.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
