Man accused of stealing wallets, purses and gun in Polk County car burglary spree: PCSO

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Courtesy: Polk County Sheriff's Office

DAVENPORT, Fla. - The Polk County Sheriff's Office says a 23-year-old man is facing a slew of charges in connection with a series of vehicle burglaries in Polk County.

The backstory:

Investigators say the case began in January when a wallet was stolen from a vehicle in the Four Corners area of Davenport. Detectives believe it was just one of many car break-ins in which wallets, purses and a handgun were taken from unlocked vehicles.

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PCSO says the stolen credit cards were later used to make fraudulent purchases at several stores.

The Leesburg Police Department in Lake County identified a suspect, Jeffrey Gilbert, 23, in a related investigation. 

Polk County detectives say they were able to connect Gilbert to multiple crimes within the county.

On Tuesday, deputies located Gilbert at a residence on Captiva Drive in Davenport. Gilbert initially refused to leave the home but eventually went outside and was taken into custody.

Gilbert was booked on the following charges:

• Armed burglary
• Burglary of a conveyance (3 counts)
• Fraudulent use of a credit card (4 counts)
• Unlawful possession of four or less personal identification (2 counts)
• Unlawful possession of five or personal identification (2 counts)
• Petit theft (3 counts)
• Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
• Grand theft of a firearm
• Resisting an officer without violence

Dig deeper:

Investigators also discovered Gilbert had warrants in other counties.

In Sumter County, Gilbert was wanted for burglary of a conveyance and petit theft. In Lake County, Gilbert was facing charges including fraudulent use of a credit card, scheme to defraud, grand theft and criminal use of personal identification.