Sanford mayor says he ‘wasn't looking for hookers and hot sauce' when robbed at gunpoint

SANFORD, Fla. — Sanford Mayor Jeff Triplett parked his vehicle early Saturday as he visited a friend. Seconds later, he had a gun to his head.

Triplett said he heard someone ask him for a light at about 2:15 a.m. after parking his Mercedes-Benz SUV outside a home on Chapman Avenue near Fort Mellon Park.

When he turned around, he saw three teenagers approach him.

"I turned around and there was a person with a gun to my face, saying 'Get down. Get down. Give us your keys,'" Triplett told Channel 9. "I kind of went down with him."

Raw: Sanford mayor on armed carjacking

Triplett said one of the teenagers told him, "I will kill you," as he was ordered to the ground. One shoved a gun in his mouth, another pointed a gun at his ear.

"It was a very violent act, very scary," he said. "'I'm going to kill you.' You just don't say that. You shouldn't be able to get away with that."

Triplett said the teenagers demanded his keys and his wallet, which contained $300, his driver's license, credit cards and his mayor's badge.

"It was just a random act of violence, a crime of opportunity, a perfect storm, whatever you want to call it," Triplett said. "I happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. They were out searching for something and they found it."

Photos: Sanford mayor carjacked at gunpoint

Police said the three suspects then fled in Triplett's vehicle, crashing into a ditch near Summerlin Avenue and East 25th Street.

Investigators said they found two stolen guns in the stolen vehicle.

Jermine Jacques Horne, 18, and Damarcus Jesse Paige, 17, were arrested in connection with the incident. Both were charged with armed carjacking and aggravated assault. They're being jailed at the John E. Polk Correctional Facility.

The third teenager remains at large, authorities said.

The mayor claims the night started with dinner with friends. The conversation turned to politics, and the minutes turned into hours.

“I looked down like anyone else and said, ‘My God, look what time it is. I got to go home. Let's go,’ said Triplett.

Triplett had some strong words for those raising suspicions about why he was at the house, and why he was out so early in the morning, carrying $300 cash. He said nothing suspicious was happening on his part, and the money he had was for his son’s math tutor.

“I really could care less what people think about me. Mind your own business, Triplett said. “I wasn't looking for hookers or hot sauce, man. I'm happily married for 20 years. I've got a 15-year-old and a 10-year-old.”

Triplett also said he is a night owl.

“I've always been a night owl, and if I get into a conversation, I like to end it then, versus sleeping on it trying to figure it out later, he said.

During a court appearance Sunday morning, a judge ordered that Horne remain jailed.

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Paige also appeared before a judge Sunday, but officials wouldn't disclose details on his case because he's a minor.

"Being a victim of a crime is unnerving, yet it was reassuring to witness both speed and diligence from the Sanford Police Department," Triplett said. "It is disheartening when this type of crime takes place in the city of Sanford. I encourage the community, its businesses, and the police department to continue to work together and stop this type of violence."

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Crimeline at 800-423-8477 or to visit www.crimeline.org. Tipsters may remain anonymous. Anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest is eligible for a $1,000 reward.

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