Pennsylvania teens visiting Polk County for football championship arrested for felony retail theft: PCSO
DAVENPORT, Fla. - Eight teenagers from Pennsylvania are accused of conspiring to steal more than $2,000 worth of merchandise from Dick’s Sporting Goods in Posner Plaza in Davenport.
The backstory:
Around 10:55 a.m. on Saturday, deputies with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office went to investigate a report of a retail theft in progress at the sporting goods store.
The store manager contacted PCSO after seeing several teens concealing merchandise.
Deputies looked at surveillance footage and said they saw the eight suspects enter the store separately in two groups.
They said the first group entered the store and began walking around, looking at merchandise.
While the first group was inside, deputies said the second group entered the store and one of the teens bought something in the front of the store.
According to PCSO, that teen met up with the rest of the suspects in the middle of the store with his Dick’s Sporting Goods bag, and the other suspects put other merchandise inside of it.
Three of the teens, according to deputies, took the bag, passed all points of sale and walked out of the store, where they were detained by law enforcement.
Courtesy: Polk County Sheriff's Office
Deputies said one teen had stolen merchandise inside of a black backpack and another had the bag from the store with over $2,000 worth of stolen goods inside.
Deputies located and detained the other five suspects inside the store. One teen had a beanie concealed inside his pants, according to PCSO.
Deputies said the total value of stolen merchandise was confirmed at $2,296.07.
Dig deeper:
According to PCSO, the teenage suspects were identified as members of a Philadelphia youth football team, the United Thoroughbreds, who were in Polk County participating in the Prolifix Nationals tournament.
Investigators said the team’s coach, Raekwon Bynes, 29, of Philadelphia, went to the store and confirmed the teens were staying in Davenport for the championship game scheduled later that day. Parents of the juveniles were notified.
All eight suspects declined to provide statements. None of the suspects have prior criminal arrest histories, according to the Philadelphia Juvenile Justice Services Center.
The suspects were taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center and charged with retail theft over $750 and conspiracy to commit retail theft.
The teens were not allowed to play in the scheduled championship game because of their arrests.
What they're saying:
"These juveniles were not from Polk County, they came here from out of state for a football tournament, and instead of representing their team with pride, they chose to commit a crime," stated Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. "Let this be clear: it doesn’t matter if you’re from here or visiting, if you break the law in Polk County, you will be arrested and held accountable."
The Source: This article was written with information provided in a press release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.