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.

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.