Suspected fragrance thief arrested after string of robberies in Tampa Bay area: SPPD
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - St. Petersburg police have arrested a man that they say was involved in several robberies across the Bay Area in the past month.
Joseph Brown, 27, was taken into custody on January 6 after police tracked down a gray Mazda that they say was involved in a robbery at a nearby CVS in St. Pete.
Police say that Brown and other co-conspirators went into multiple businesses late at night with face coverings and disguises to target fragrance storage areas or locked fragrance displays to steal high-value items.
During one of the robberies, surveillance video shows one of the suspects pepper spraying a CVS employee.
Video: Two masked robbers pepper spray CVS clerks
The St. Petersburg Police Department released video of two masked suspects who were seen on camera pepper spraying CVS sales clerks Monday evening.
The Mazda that Brown was driving was later determined to be a Turo rental vehicle, and they were able to track it down using the owner's GPS system.
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Timeline:
In total, investigators say that Brown was involved in separate robberies across the Tampa Bay area between December 14 and January 5. The stolen goods from the robberies at several CVS locations, a Walgreens and a JCPenney are worth $11,758.97 before taxes.
- December 14 at the CVS at 105 S Pebble Beach Boulevard, Sun City Center.
- December 15, 2025, at the CVS at 403 N Alexander Street, Plant City.
- December 20 at the Walgreens at 17511 N Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Tampa.
- January 5 at the CVS at 301 3rd Street, St. Petersburg.
- January 5 at JCPenney at 201 Westshore Plaza, Tampa.
Charges for Brown
- Burglary of an occupied structure while wearing a mask (4 counts)
- Retail theft – $3,000 or more
- Multiple retail thefts within a specified time period (20 or more items)
- Retail theft from multiple locations ($750 or more)
Brown is being held at the Hillsborough County jail on $170,000 bond.
Police are looking for the other suspects in this case.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the St. Pete Police Department.