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Cold case suspect sought
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| Cold case suspect sought |
By Adam Prestridge
Investigators with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office were on a manhunt Tuesday afternoon in Pensacola, Fla., looking for a former Atmore resident wanted for murder.
Sheriff Grover Smith said authorities went to serve an open charge of murder on 42-year-old Bruce Edward Day at his construction job where he has been working for the past year. When they arrived, Day was nowhere to be found.
“We came down here to serve the warrant where he works, and apparently he got tipped off and ran,” Smith said via cell phone Tuesday afternoon.
Day is charged with the murder of 25-year-old Woodrow Judge “Token” Allen, who went missing in December 2001.
Smith said authorities, including the U.S. Marshal’s office, have been looking for the suspect for the past couple of days and issued a warrant Monday for his arrest.
Newspaper articles from 2002 show Day was convicted of reckless endangerment in September of that year. He was charged with attempted murder and one count of shooting into an occupied vehicle that was driven by Allen. In that incident — which happened a month before Allen went missing — Allen was driving with passenger 16-year-old Sarah Kersey when the passenger side window was shattered by gunfire. Officials said Day was the triggerman. Kersey testified that Allen sped up, but the car got “bogged down in some sand” and they fled the car on foot.
When Allen was reported missing a month later, foul play was suspected.
The campus of the University of West Florida was on lockdown for a few hours Tuesday afternoon as authorities searched for the suspect, according to Pensacola television stations. The lockdown was later lifted.
Allen, a 25-year-old white male, was last seen walking through a stretch of woods between his house in Nokomis and a friend’s house in a nearby trailer park. Former Escambia County Sheriff Tim Hawsey said it was a walk Allen took on numerous occasions.
Sheriff Grover Smith said authorities went to serve an open charge of murder on 42-year-old Bruce Edward Day at his construction job where he has been working for the past year. When they arrived, Day was nowhere to be found.
“We came down here to serve the warrant where he works, and apparently he got tipped off and ran,” Smith said via cell phone Tuesday afternoon.
Day is charged with the murder of 25-year-old Woodrow Judge “Token” Allen, who went missing in December 2001.
Smith said authorities, including the U.S. Marshal’s office, have been looking for the suspect for the past couple of days and issued a warrant Monday for his arrest.
Newspaper articles from 2002 show Day was convicted of reckless endangerment in September of that year. He was charged with attempted murder and one count of shooting into an occupied vehicle that was driven by Allen. In that incident — which happened a month before Allen went missing — Allen was driving with passenger 16-year-old Sarah Kersey when the passenger side window was shattered by gunfire. Officials said Day was the triggerman. Kersey testified that Allen sped up, but the car got “bogged down in some sand” and they fled the car on foot.
When Allen was reported missing a month later, foul play was suspected.
The campus of the University of West Florida was on lockdown for a few hours Tuesday afternoon as authorities searched for the suspect, according to Pensacola television stations. The lockdown was later lifted.
Allen, a 25-year-old white male, was last seen walking through a stretch of woods between his house in Nokomis and a friend’s house in a nearby trailer park. Former Escambia County Sheriff Tim Hawsey said it was a walk Allen took on numerous occasions.
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| Bullet enters home on Pensacola |
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Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of atmoreadvance.com.
becca wrote on Oct 8, 2009 6:01 PM:
" I think it is inappropriate to call someone a killer when he has not been convicted of the crime. We live in the United States of America and last time I checked we are innocent until proven guilty. Let us all remember too that this man is someone's father,son,brother,uncle,loved one, and friend.Respect their feelings if you decide to post a comment about this story. "
hotrod wrote on Oct 8, 2009 10:54 PM:
" Bruce Day is one of my best friends. Television and newspaper have convicted him before the whole story. What was the reason for Bruce Day shooting at this man in his car ? IT was because he was stealing things from him and got caught. Yes people this man Token Allen had stole from everyone in the neighborhood. HE had stole from my friends property several times. that was why he shot at his car. Bruce Day is a good friend and a good man. This man Token Allen vanished or dissapeared a month later. I am standing by my wrongly accused friend Bruce Day. "
real justice wrote on Oct 9, 2009 12:51 PM:
" Good Luck Bruce....The media has done you a terrible injustice. The judicial system will not be fair. Stand with you head held high. This is a battle, you must be brave. Our thoughts and prayers are with you in your troubled times. "
An old friend wrote on Oct 9, 2009 1:14 PM:
" I've known Bruce for a long time. I haven't seen or been in contact with him in many years.
When the news media and sheriff's department labeled him as "armed and dangerous" I knew they were wrong. Not Bruce. In no way could he be "armed and dangerous". Especially since he was at work when they went to serve the warrant. What was he to be armed with, tools from work? Come on! He was even captured on a video surveillance camera at a Tom Thumb, near the area of his "escape" buying a pack of cigarettes with no incident, then was able to make his "trek" some 100 miles north, eventually back to his father's home, where he cooperatively turned himself in. How could that have occurred when "armed and dangerous"?
And thanks to the news media and the sheriff's departments involved, many have formed opinions of Bruce already, by the limited amount of information that has been given. Not the whole story. That will all surface in time, I'm sure. As "hotrod" stated, he's been convicted from the media already, but the truth will prevail. In given time.
Bruce is a good man. Always was. No saint, but then who is, but he's still a good man.
I wish you luck, Bruce. . . "
When the news media and sheriff's department labeled him as "armed and dangerous" I knew they were wrong. Not Bruce. In no way could he be "armed and dangerous". Especially since he was at work when they went to serve the warrant. What was he to be armed with, tools from work? Come on! He was even captured on a video surveillance camera at a Tom Thumb, near the area of his "escape" buying a pack of cigarettes with no incident, then was able to make his "trek" some 100 miles north, eventually back to his father's home, where he cooperatively turned himself in. How could that have occurred when "armed and dangerous"?
And thanks to the news media and the sheriff's departments involved, many have formed opinions of Bruce already, by the limited amount of information that has been given. Not the whole story. That will all surface in time, I'm sure. As "hotrod" stated, he's been convicted from the media already, but the truth will prevail. In given time.
Bruce is a good man. Always was. No saint, but then who is, but he's still a good man.
I wish you luck, Bruce. . . "
a sister wrote on Oct 9, 2009 6:32 PM:
" thank you all for the positive remarks. Bruce is my brother and we love him dearly. he is a good man, has a heart as big as texas. yes the media has wrote this all wrong. i was there for the trial for the so called shooting in the car. it was proven in court that the bullet went over the car not in to the car. he was found quilty of reckless endangerment. not attempted murder. and he was not even charged with the attempted murder charged until AFTER token allen went missing. so i ask this how was token going to be testifing against bruce when there was not any charges until after token went missing? yes my brother has had his problems, and who doesnt these days? His family is going to stand by him thru this ordeal, we will pray for him and i hope you all will too. we are going to be there for bruce no matter how all this turns out.i will not speak ill of the missing man token, i know his family is hurting as much as we are, if not more.
thank you all for your support, bruce is going to need his friends and family at this time and a long time to come. "
thank you all for your support, bruce is going to need his friends and family at this time and a long time to come. "
Walker wrote on Oct 9, 2009 8:15 PM:
" Even with false information given to the media and people that have formed their own opinions of Bruce by what's been reported, we must all continue to keep Bruce in our thoughts and prayers. I know he will appreciate all the thoughts, prayers and support during this time. I will surely pass 'em along. "
maximus123 wrote on Oct 8, 2009 4:33 PM: