Articles Posted in Theft Crimes

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A Florida man was arrested when he reportedly celebrated his birthday by using methamphetamine and picking up passengers with a sightseeing train that he allegedly hijacked.

According to their website, the Conch Tour Train in Key West provides a “close-up view of the Southernmost City’s most popular places, including Mallory Square, Sails to Rails Museum, the Key West Aquarium and more.” On July 4, a 57-year-old man went to the depot and talked to one of the employees. He reportedly said he used to work there and wanted a tour of one of the sightseeing trains, and the worker gave him a set of keys. Instead of merely checking out the vehicle, the man reportedly drove away in it and expanded his tour to include part of the city.

The authorities were notified about the situation, and officers from the Key West Police Department went to the depot. They learned that a running vehicle with the stereo on was left in the parking lot, and it was assumed that it belonged to the alleged train thief. The trackless vehicle, which had a GPS tracking unit onboard, was discovered and retrieved by an employee. They said the man who drove off with the train also picked up two passengers.

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An 80-year-old woman is facing charges after she reportedly crashed into someone’s vehicle and slapped the driver across the face during an altercation in a parking lot.

On the afternoon of June 30, a woman with a passenger in her car was driving through the parking lot of a Walmart in Apopka, Florida. When she stopped to check her GPS, her car was blocking someone who was trying to back out of their spot, and they accidentally struck the woman’s vehicle. The driver, who was reportedly angry about the incident, got out of her car and went up to the woman whose vehicle was hit.

According to reports, the 80-year-old woman became aggressive and foul-mouthed, in addition to refusing to trade insurance information with the other driver. Since they were having trouble reaching an acceptable resolution, the driver started walking back to her vehicle. The situation escalated when the other woman stopped her and allegedly slapped her across the face. The woman also reportedly grabbed the alleged victim’s cell phone and threw it across the street.

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A teenage runaway in southwestern Florida is facing multiple charges after allegedly driving under the influence in a car he stole that was registered to his father.

Just after 5:00 am on June 27, a Nissan Sentra was seen in the parking lot at a McDonald’s in Cape Coral. The juvenile in the driver’s seat was believed to be a 15-year-old, and five of his friends were riding as passengers. The driver was reported as a runaway, and someone called the authorities to let them know where he was. Officers from the Cape Coral Police Department went to the location to investigate.

When they arrived, the police reported that they had spotted a vehicle matching the description of the one the individual had called about. They tried to get the driver to pull over, but he allegedly ignored the officer and continued driving until they reached the parking lot of a nearby Walgreens. The vehicle crashed into the side of the building, and the driver was identified as a teenager who had reportedly run away from home.

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A Florida man was arrested after allegedly robbing the bank where he has an account by giving the teller a note that said he would blow up the bank if the authorities were notified.

Around 9:00 AM on June 26, a man reportedly walked into the Truist Bank in Page Field Commons. According to reports, he was recognized by employees as someone who regularly visits the location. He reportedly walked up to one of the tellers and slid a note across the counter that said he had explosives and a firearm. He allegedly threatened to blow up the building if she notified the police about his purported demand for money instead of silently complying. After collecting the cash, the suspect fled in a vehicle being driven by a woman.

According to reports, Lee County Sheriff’s deputies and local police used drones and K9s to search for the man, and about an hour later, they located the vehicle in which they believed he left the bank. When they initiated a traffic stop, the driver pulled over without incident, but the man reportedly ran out of the car. The driver, identified as a 45-year-old woman, and the man, age 44, were caught in a short foot chase. They were both listed as Ft Myers residents.

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An Indiana teenager was arrested in connection with multiple burglaries involving a suspect wearing a clown-like mask after one of his parents brought him to the sheriff’s office and turned him in.

According to reports, on the night of June 18, a couple of home surveillance cams picked up what appeared to be an individual wearing a clown mask hanging around a residential area in the Wellington Acres neighborhood in Vanderburgh County. The next morning, two people who live in homes where the masked person was caught on video discovered several items were missing from their cars. They believed their belongings had been stolen, and the authorities were notified.

The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office began investigating the situation, and they watched the footage containing the person wearing the mask. The area around the homes was searched, and what was described as a “clown-like mask” matching the one seen in the footage was found nearby. A few days later, another incident occurred in the same area. The alleged victims reported that someone tried to break into their vehicles, and one person believed the suspect tried to get into their home. When investigators watched the surveillance videos, they thought it was the same masked suspect. They released pictures on social media asking for help locating the individual.

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A man from Georgia is facing many charges after he was arrested in Florida for allegedly stealing from vehicles and occupied residences.

At the beginning of June, an individual was in the vicinity of a single-family housing complex in Doral, Miami, with the alleged intention of swiping items from the residents. The person, who was believed to be a man, was wearing a ski mask as they reportedly strolled through the area. He allegedly tried to open several vehicles, and when he found unlocked ones, he reportedly stole garage door openers and used them to enter the garages of the homes where they were installed.

From one of the houses, the residents, who were home when the alleged intruder entered, reported that electronics, credit cards, and their Kia were taken. Several items were also reported as stolen from multiple additional residences. The suspect allegedly used the reportedly stolen car to leave the area.

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Two PortMiami employees are facing several charges after they were allegedly caught on camera stealing art pieces worth over $50,000 from their job site.

According to reports, public artwork made of marble and crafted into mosaics with depictions of different marine life in the center decorated the walls in PortMiami’s Terminal G. On May 12, some of the mosaics began to go missing. Eleven days later, someone notified the authorities about the situation, and the Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation.

The terminal has security cameras, and on May 27, deputies started looking through the footage. They reported that an individual was seen taking the art off the walls, and it appeared as if they hid the pieces until they were later able to put them in a vehicle and take them from the premises. The deputies believed the suspect was an employee who works as a custodian at the port, and that the car the items were loaded into belonged to one of his coworkers. They searched the man’s home and reported that they found 12 of the pieces, and added that both suspects allegedly admitted they took the mosaics.

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When a Virginia man was released from incarceration, he was arrested again a few hours later for allegedly stealing a vehicle and attempting to burglarize a residence.

On May 9, a 28-year-old man from Woodbridge was arrested on suspicion of auto theft, eluding or disregarding the police, and exceeding the speed limit. He spent 18 days in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. After a bond hearing on the morning of May 27, he was released on his own recognizance. The man enjoyed approximately 10 hours of freedom before he had an encounter with the police regarding criminal activity that happened after he was freed.

According to reports, around 7:00 PM, a woman was in her Burke home when someone she did not know let themselves in. She grabbed a weapon to protect herself, and the individual ran out of the house and drove away. She notified the authorities about the incident, and officers from the Fairfax County Police Department went to the address to investigate. They collected details about the alleged burglary and also learned that a vehicle, which might have been the one the suspect was driving, was reported stolen from the courthouse parking lot. It was suspected that the auto thief was the man who was released that morning. After a short search, he was found with the vehicle and accused of stealing it and breaking into the woman’s residence.

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A 43-year-old U.S. Army combat veteran is facing multiple charges after allegedly breaking into the home belonging to the CEO of Beanie Babies and violently attacking a woman.

Late in the afternoon on May 21, the 80-year-old CEO of Beanie Babies and others who live in his Montecito, California, residence were at home when a strange man reportedly walked in. The alleged intruder reportedly said it was his house and ordered everyone to get out before locking himself in a bathroom. The authorities were notified, and they went to the address to see what was going on.

When they arrived, deputies from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office noted that a 60-year-old woman who appeared to be seriously injured was outside the house, and everyone else appeared to have gotten out unharmed. The woman was taken to the hospital, and it was reported that she sustained a brain injury that left her in a coma. The deputies also learned that the suspect was still inside the home. Law enforcement from several agencies went to the scene to assist, and when a crisis intervention specialist tried to coax him out of the restroom, the man reportedly refused.

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Three people in northwest Florida were arrested on multiple charges after a years-long, multi-agency investigation led the authorities to believe they trafficked over a hundred pounds of drugs out of a privately owned pharmacy.

At the end of 2020, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Financial Services, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and several other agencies started investigating Pace Pharmacy when they suspected the business was being used as a pill mill. The pharmacy is owned by a 54-year-old pharmacist and his 58-year-old wife, who works as the office manager. A second man, age 69, is employed as a pharmacist at the location.

The authorities believed that the business was providing large quantities of illicit substances to people who did not have a medical need for them and illegally billed insurance companies to cover the cost. During the investigation, it was asserted that the alleged pill mill moved more than 48 pounds of oxycodone, 57 pounds of hydrocodone, and approximately two pounds of hydromorphone.

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