Thieves use garage door opener found in unlocked car to rob home

TAMPA (FOX 13) - The Hillsborough County Sheriff has released surveillance footage of suspects in a frightening home robbery that serves as a reminder for us all to lock our doors. They seek the public's help in identifying the suspected thieves.

The robbery occurred overnight between Monday, October 10, and Tuesday, October 11. The suspects got lucky that night when they tested the door of a car parked in a Dover residential community and found it unlocked. Inside the vehicle, they found a garage door opener that they used to open the victim's garage door. Once inside the garage, the suspects tested their luck again— and found the interior door leading from the garage into the home also unlocked. 

While the homeowners slept, the thieves took a laptop computer, wallet containing credit cards, and a Fossil watch. 

By 7:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, the suspects began using the stolen credit cards at two Walmart locations in both Brandon and Tampa, and a Tobacco Depot in Plant City. 

This crime serves as another reminder to the community of the importance of locking your doors. An unlocked car and an unlocked garage door gave these thieves access to the home, all while the victim's slept. 

Authorities are searching for three suspects: 

• Suspect #1: White Male, gray hair, salt and pepper goatee and glasses.
• Suspect #2: White Male, brown short hair, scruffy beard, sunglasses, ball cap.
• Suspect #3: White Female, brown or black hair, fair complexion, black ball cap.

They are believed to be driving a black Kia Sorento. 

Anyone with any information reference the suspect is asked to call the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at 247-8200 or anyone with any information regarding the identity and whereabouts of this suspect and who wants to be eligible for a cash reward is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477), report anonymously online at www.crimestopperstb.com or send a mobile tip using our P3 Tips Mobile application, which is a free download for iPhones, iPads and Droids. You must call Crime Stoppers first to be eligible for a reward.