Largo police say report of attack is all baloney, down to potato smash

LARGO — A 51-year-old man with a lengthy arrest record seemed to be on the right side on the law Tuesday night when he called police to report a woman was being attacked.

But Robert Turley found himself back behind bars when Largo police determined he made up the story to get back at his roommates, an arrest report shows.

Turley, 1015 B 15th Ave. NW, was charged with false report of a crime. On Wednesday afternoon, he was being held in the Pinellas County Jail in lieu of $250 bail.

Turley called police three times in two hours to say that a man was attacking a woman, according to an arrest report.

In one call, he told police the man was chasing a woman with a knife. About 45 minutes later, he called again, to say the same man was "smashing potatoes" over the woman's head. In the final call, he alleged the man was punching the woman in the face.

After each call, Turley would hide in a neighbor's yard when police responded, the report said.

Turley ultimately admitted to officers that he never saw the man attack the woman. He said he made the calls because he was intoxicated and angry at his male and female roommates, the report said.

Law enforcement records show Turley has been arrested a dozen times since 1991. Most recently, he was released from the county jail in July after serving 35 days on a possession of drug paraphernalia conviction.