i'm lester holt. a food stamp fraud ring bulbed in the bay area, new -- busted in the bay area. >> and hover board fires like this are starting to look normal. >> a shocking theft, caught on camera, a puppy swiped from a pet store. >> good evening. i'm jennifer lee. >> thanks for joining us. a major fraud ring bust in st. petersburg. police arresting a store owner accused of buying, selling, and using food stamp cards, and once that happened, just like a house of cards, the whole pyramid started to crumble. paul mueller is live at the pinellas county jail. >> reporter: the keith, the king pin, and 14 others wrapped up in the racket, brought here to the pinellas county jail, all of

cards for money, money meant for people who need it, as well as money taken out of your pocket, the taxpayer. >> ray makes too much to qualify for assistance, but he says lots of people know how to pete the system. -- beat the system. >> it's not how to get what you want with ebt card. >> reporter: and that's why the doors of the king food mart are chained shut, the owner, taken down today. >> i think he knew the gig was up. >> reporter: he sure did. authorities were on his tail for over a year t began on the first of each month, that's when the deals went down. >> they would come in, exchange the ebt cards, and he would give them cash. >> reporter: then he used his chunk of change to go shopping, surveillance photos show him using that money to stock up on things so he could then sell the goods to six other bay area

left, he would come to this bp station, and drain every last cent. officers took in about 170 grand, two u hamms full of the store stock, more than 160 ebt cards and a gun. >> that's what he's been doing it for 13 years. >> reporter: but 13 years, come on! how did he get away with it for so long? the chief and jake say it's happening big-time, and new regulations need to be put in place to stop it. >> he can trade it in for a case of beer, anything you want. i see people do it all the time. >> how does the problem get solved? >> that, i don't know. >> reporter: all right, back live in pinellas county, in all, this is more than a a $1.5 million loss to the system, at least, keith. >> and this sort of thing goes on elsewhere, but in this case, you said 13 years. more than $1.5 million. what are they doing?

place to stop this sort of thing? >> reporter: you know what? this is no secret, people know about it. they were talking about it to us on the street. the state knows about it, but what are they doing about it to stop this from happening? that's what we wanted to know, so we put in several e-mails to the state department who handles ebt fraud, we put in several calls, but as the right now, tonight, we're waiting to hear back and get some answers. >> paul mueller is live in pinellas county. a rash of home burglaries has a neighborhood on edge. it's because of thief is pretty bold. one man was in the shower when the crook hit. this is all happening in the parkland estates. the area is not exactly known for crime. a victim said the thief stole electronics and rifled through his closets. >> it takes away your sense of

i think that's a common reaction. and also, just anger, and also kind of astonishment. >> the police have one surveillance photo of a car that stayed outside of one of the homes for about 15 minutes before the home was robbed. they do not have any photos of the thief, however. there are new developments tonight involving ten american sailors detained in iran. the sailors and their boats seized after the americans apparently drifted into iranian waters in the persian gulf. josh benson is in the news center. what is the very latest. >> reporter: it happened around noon eastern time, and since then, there have been a fleury of democratic contact. they insist the soldiers are safe, and do not believe this is a hostile act. right now, officials in iran are holding ten american sailorings after two small navy boats entered territorial waters.

from the iranians that our sailors are safe, that they're being, they're being afforded the proper, courtesy you would expect. >> reporter: we're learning officials will meet in international waters for their release after dawn. >> if they're not releases, the iran deal will not go forward, and military force will be on the table to retaliate for this action of aggression. >> it's unclear whether the ship intentionally entered iranian waters. senior defense official said no distress call was made, and john kerry called his counterpart to try to just resolve this matter. >> more to come. thank you, josh. and new tonight, hover board fires keep happening this one on youtube. one bay area university is working to keep you safe on these dangerous new gadgets. tomorrow, the university of

whether they need to ban the hover boards. we are live with that story. >> reporter: good evening, keith. students, if you have not already seen this flyer, well, expect to get one a little later on this week. more and more students are using their hoverboards around campuses. university officials are stressing safety tips because they can potentially be dangerous. daniel has been on a roll since he brought his hover board in september. >> i tried it, and it's leak this is awesome. i wanted to buy it, i figured i could get around campus easier. >> reporter: but that could soon come to a halt for the university of so you florida freshman. it's officials will discuss whether to ban the popular toy after dozens of caught on fire across the country. >> it is important for the university to discuss hover board safety, primarily the fire hazard that is associated with them. >> reporter: this week, students

safety tips on charging electronics. >> we have all heard of cases of cell phones, and laptops that have ignited just like hover boards are currently doing, based on faulty cords, or improper ventilation. >> i think they're good. it's just simple, you know, just follow the rules, and nothing's going to go wrong. >> reporter: this hover board broke out in flames last week, at a washington university e. so far, the boards have been banned from nearly 30 campuses. will usf join that trend? officials have not taken a stance to ban them yet. why not? >> the safety of our students is pair mounts. >> reporter: the wheels on the joyride will keep turning for now. >> i would be kind of upset, definitely upset, because i can't use it. but, i mean, i just have to go back to walking like i used to. >> reporter: so this meeting tomorrow will include student affairs representatives from housing, and environmental

it is a private meeting, and it starts at 1:00. keith? >> that the freshman student is pretty good on his hover board, this discussion, are they going to ban particular areas for the hover boards? what -- little more detail on that. >> reporter: so, keith, basically what they could recommend out of this meeting tomorrow is to either just ban them from the dorms on campus, or they could tell students that they're not allowed to bring them on the property at all. >> all right, the -- thank you. the deputies want to catch a thief caught on video stealing lawn equipment. the thief just drives up, next to a lawn care worker's trailer, and grabs a weed trimmer and blower. this happened late last month on belcher road in largo. if anything in the video looks familiar, you should call the pinellas county sheriff's office.

tonight on the university of tampa campus hours after a gas leak caused evacuations. at county crew working in the area hit a gas line near the sea wall. tampa fire rescue was able to cap the leak, and there were no injuries. scary moments at a party in boca raton, when shelves came crashing down. wait until you see what it looks like inside. the pictures tell the tale. can you see the shelves dominod over basically, luckily no one was trapped understand that rubble. three people did suffer mine i don't remember injuries. and investigators -- minor injuries, and they are trying to figure out what caused this to happen. if your commute to work takes you north on interstate 275, you will want to allow for extra time. the d.o.t opened up an alignment to straighten up it, but caused franklin bridge. bit.

when they open up the fourth lane. >> probably in march or april, the fourth lane should open up throughout the project. >> we're told some of the trouble it done to the temporarily short on ramp from dale may be bring, and tighter lines. for the final time, as commander in chief, president obama delivered his state of the union address. the he urged them to come together to build a nation that was optimistic. he also addressed some of the division in congress, urging members to work together. >> we face the future with confidence, in who we are, and what we stand for, and the incredible things we can do together. >> the president also said the united states is a country on the rebounds, empowered by the ethnic diversity and infused

he also urged americans not to alienate minorities or to resist social change. >> the new look for paul ryan. massive recall of children's cold medicine coming up. >> consumers alert, we'll show you which store changes have been selling that medicine. >> do you recognize this guy? he's wanted for stealing a 9 week old puppy. how you can help, next. >> sunshine today, 67 degrees reported high, but we did see some clouds ron in, and they're still with us at this hour. maybe a chilly night, possible frost, and rain back in the

nine retailers are recalling grape and cherry flavored children's cold medicine. the dosage cup contains incorrect markings that could lead to an overdose. the company that manufacturers them sold them under several brand names, to check if you have the affected medicine, go to wf l.a..com. guidelines representing women wait until 50 to get a mammogram are getting some push-back. the u.s. preventive services task force claims the expensive emotional and financial risk is the reason for waiting. but dr. neil recommends getting screened starting at 40.

years gained from a screening mammogram are gained from woman diagnosed in their 40s, or younger. >> the newest guidelines say it's an individual choice, if women want to get mammograms starting at 40. despite the guidelines, currently, the law requires most health plans to cover the screening from age 40 on. right now, largo police need your help. here's a guy in a black jacket. look at him in this video. he is with a puppy, and watch as he paces around the pet store. then he picks up the pup at the and takes off. that tiny york can i has special die -- yorkie has special dietary needs. >> the pet store manager wants help finding her. i hate to say that video. pretty brazen stuff, mel. >> reporter: it certainly is. good evening to you both. a cutie you're about to meet will melt your heart.

tonight, police want to talk with that man who was last seen with her. take a look. talk about cute! this little gal is two pounds of precious, a tiny yorkie, who was ready to meet her new best friend tuesday morning. she's only 9 weeks old, sweet as can be. that's when makes this story more heart breaking. she was stolen in an instant. >> i went straight panic mode. we searched the entire store, looked in different cages. >> reporter: bid get is the kennel manager at all about puppies in largo. she said she noticed the man in the black jacket acting strangely the minute he picked up the yorkie. she explained to the police he seemed. >> she told the cops the mystery

of the store that doesn't have cameras, and moments later, took off. managers claim this man in the black jacket was the last person seen with this little gal. >> you can see him adjust his sweater, and rush out the door, and he just kept his face down, holding on to the sweat -- and walked out. >> reporter: bread get is torn apart -- bid bridgette is torn apart. the dog must be fed every 3 to 4 hours to keep her sugars in balance. >> people are -- i don't know what can happen to the puppy. i want the puppy back with us so the puppy lives a long life. >> so there is some good news to share. that yorkie is microchipped. hopefully it will help detectives. if you recognize the guy in the video, lawmaker co-police would

like to talk to him. thanks, another cold night ahead for us, temperatures dropping down into the mid- to upper 30s, especially if the skies would stay clear in the northern areas. 49 saint pete, 41 lakeland, 40 arcadia, 45 in tampa. frost advisory in police, but the clouds roll in, and helps to hold the temperature up just a little bit, dew points have made a recovery. on average, coldest week of the year so far, so we have nice cooler temperatures to enjoy that week. chilly conditions again in the four cast at 8:00 a.m. 60 degrees at noon, clouds building slowly warming, clouds and sunshine throughout the day, probably a few extra clouds, and still cool, average high about 70. night shot from jackie on the beach at indian rocks, lots the high clouds moving in, especially central and south, quite a few of the clouds. 49 degrees, temperatures

overnight at most locations. 7:00 a.m., 45 degrees to start the day. by the afternoon, temperatures shoot back up into the 60s, i mentioned 67 for a high, but maybe some extra clouds hold us down. we're still seeing a northerly flow. right now, temperatures much cooler, some inland spots away from the water influence, 47 brandon, 56 clearwater beach, poll lee beach, 41 did, polo beach, 41. and some low 40s in some northern spots like crystal river. high pressure backed up, but still on the eastern side of that, and with the clockwise flow that just brings in a normal flow, taps into the cooler air to the north, and drag it here. the northeasterly influence, once this high pushes farther to the east that tends to moderate the atmosphere, but a good flow of mostly high clouds coming in from the west. it's few sprinkles farther down to the south, northern part of the gulf. not expecting rain, but it does

there will be some clear patches, and that will allow march radiational cooling. the more clouds around tonight, just as cool as the previous night. especially skies will be clear, clouds around to start the day, mix in with some sunshine. high pressure will continue to shift to the east, and as it does, we'll get more of a northeasterly flow. and then a more moderating atmosphere. but over all, temperatures are below normal. quite a bit of rain moves back into the forecast, especially later in the day thursday, into the early part of friday where we see the best chance of seeing showers develop. this area of low pressure coming out of the gulf of mexico helps to increase that rain chance for the early part of friday. there it is, a decent coverage. then by friday afternoon, lot of this starts to pull away, and should set up a dryer saturday for us, as that area of low pressure moves away. next three days, the temperatures will stay little cool, 64 degrees, warmer for

rain chance 60% for friday, but that rain can start as early as thursday evening. warm saturday, 77, mild, and then another cold front, pushing on through that will allow temperatures to drop into the low 60s for highs. which is a holiday weekend for many, and overnight lows will be in the mid- to upper 40s for us with sun and cloud mix. not bad for martin luther king, jr. day. >> when it gets cold like that, you can use all the lottery tickets you bought to strike the fire. because they won't be winners. >> the losing tickets? >> big burn! developments in the bucs coaching search.

the rams have not played years!

call them the l.a. rams, once again. owners voted 30-2 in favor of the rams leaving st. louis. there are two other teams involved the historic vote, the chargers have one year to decide if they want to join the rams at a stadium in l.a. they have until march to figure out where they will play in 2016. this affects the bucs, because the bucs play at the chargers next season. if the chargers decide to stay put in san diego, the raiders have one year to decide if they would like to join the rams, but all in all that, is a bitter sweet night for the nfl. >> what i would say is i understand the emotional side. i have a responsibility also to take care of the organization and responsibility to my 31 other partners to have a first-class the facility, because it's where they play, too. >> i'm going to look at the options, and i'm going to take a

have options. you know, it's very difficult to say right now i'm going to do this, or do that. >> and the bucs finally had their interview with the dirk cutter for their head coach position, cutter is the leading candidate on a list that has three confirmed names, and no hint that more interviews will take place, and we're reaching a week where the team fired lovie smith. the lightning had a wonderful tournament to close out the -- opportunity to close out their -- they are in colorado, as we speak, victor had been there as a shot and assist. it is now 1-0. in the second period, watch this pass, right, right there. to stamkos.

and -- he scored twice in the period. bulls are still looking for their first conference win of the season. the green wave pulls away. 81-70 is your final. usf now 0-5 in the american, but we have the women's team in the top 20, so good for them. l.a. rams are in l.a., the chargers have to die if they want to be in -- decide if they want to be in l.a. >> i need to read more about it. >> connect all the dots. >> we still have the bucs.

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winning lotto numbers: >> need that coat in the morning. >> chilly at the start of many locations, this is by tomorrow evening, temperatures in the 50s, probably skies are more clear, but temperatures in the 40s on the floor night, i mentioned the frost -- overnight, i mentioned the frost possibility, lows possibly

>> a starbucks employee in arizona has made the valentine frappuccino love bean -- you have to order by the greet, not by the -- ingredients. >> there's a whole secret menu. >> java bean? jimmy fallon is coming up next.