Tampa men arrested in rooftop mall heist, ending what is believed to be a $1M organized shoe-theft ring: MCSO
Sneaker heist arrests
The prime suspects in $1M sneaker heists stretching across the Southeast are from Tampa have been arrested. FOX 13’s Kylie Jones reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - Four Tampa men have been arrested in connection with a rooftop burglary at the Treasure Coast Mall in Martin County, bringing an end to what authorities believe is a $1M organized shoe theft ring that spans multiple states.
What we know:
Detectives said the suspects cut their way through the concrete roof of the mall, dropping into the Champs Sporting Goods store and stealing hundreds of pairs of Nike shoes. The stolen merchandise was bagged, tagged, thrown off the roof, and loaded into a getaway vehicle.
Shortly after the October crime was discovered, the sheriff’s office’s Criminal Investigations Division identified the group and began tracking their movements.
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Detectives conducted surveillance as the suspects attempted additional crimes, ultimately gathering evidence linking them to as many as a dozen rooftop burglaries across Florida and into Georgia.
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said that the suspects were arrested outside a mall in Volusia County, after cutting a hole in the roof.
Tampa men Herbert L. Davis III, Michael McCray, Jimmel Raiford, and Tyrone Howard were charged in the heist.
Dig deeper:
Budensiek says the thieves stole 400 to 500 pairs of high-end shoes in the Martin County burglary in October.
The Treasure Coast Mall burglary led investigators to uncover a string of similar burglaries stretching across the Southeast region.
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"As far west as Mississippi, up into South Georgia and then all the way down as far as Naples in Florida," Budensiek said.
Budensiek says surveillance footage from a corridor that led to the mall revealed a shot of a U-Haul and a follow car.
Detectives tracked the vehicles throughout Martin County, until they headed to Tampa.
"That information led them to a Home Depot in Tampa where the U-Haul was rented," Budensiek said. "Also rented at the same time was a large ladder and a circular saw."
The Sheriff says a few weeks after the burglary in Martin Co., there was a similar burglary in Georgia. Detectives believe the suspects involved are connected to this group.
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About two weeks ago, there was another similar burglary at a mall in Volusia County, where three of the four Tampa suspects were caught in the act.
"And they had already cut a large hole in the mall roof, exactly like they did at our mall here in Martin County, and were starting to move shoes up when they were taken into custody," Budensiek said.
Detectives are continuing to investigate a string of burglaries from as far back as last year.
Budensiek says the suspects in these heists are a sophisticated crew.
"How do you go and cut a three-foot or a four-foot by four-foot hole in the perfect location and end up right on top of the shoe store that you're targeting?" he said. "Clearly there was pre-surveillance, we know that, but we don't know how they were able to be that precise."
Budensiek says there's about $1 million in losses this year from the cases they've investigated.
"You think of theft being isolated to the business that lost whatever, but that cost gets carried on to us as a consumer," he said.
He says these experienced criminals use the stolen merchandise for a variety of things, including reselling the items.
What they're saying:
"They spend a lot of time doing counter-surveillance," Sheriff Budensiek stated. "They’re not reckless when they are actually on-scene committing the burglary. They committed reckless acts post their burglary, which helped us catch them. But, when they are actually committing burglaries, they are extremely cautious. In fact, when they were taken into custody, they had gone up and cut a hole in the roof of the Volusia County mall and they were sitting back in their car doing counter-surveillance – just watching to see what was going to happen. Make sure alarms weren’t triggered. Make sure people weren’t coming around. Make sure security wasn’t watching. They were taken into custody in their car after they had already cut the hole. They understand how security works. They understand how law enforcement works and they use that to their advantage."
In a post on social media, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office wrote, "This case highlights the incredible work and expertise of our CID detectives—work that not only solved a major burglary in our own community, but also prevented additional crimes throughout the region."
What we don't know:
It is unclear what happened to the stolen shoes. The Martin County sheriff said they know the shoes went back to Tampa, but they don’t know where they ended up.
What's next:
Budensiek said more arrests are likely, and the suspects will likely face additional charges.
The Source: This article was written with information posted on social media by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.