Deputies say
the arrest of a Golden Gate man on grand theft auto charges Thursday may be the
break they need in solving a recent string of thefts of Ford F-250/F-350
pickups around Southwest Florida.
About a
dozen of the older model full-sized Ford pickups have been stolen in Collier
County over the past three months. Surrounding counties have also seen an
increase in similar thefts.
The Collier
County Sheriff’s Office has been partnering with other jurisdictions to actively
identify suspects in the cases, said Sgt. Ron Myers, who oversees the agency’s
Grand Theft Auto Unit. The partnership includes Naples Police Department, Marco
Island Police Department, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Charlotte County
Sheriff’s Office, Fort Myers Police Department, Cape Coral Police Department,
and Florida Highway Patrol, he said.
The older
F-250s and F-350s don't have the enhanced anti-theft protections of newer
models and car thieves know that, Sgt. Myers said.
Sgt. Myers
said the arrest of 19-year-old Emmanuel B. Hernandez on Thursday may give law
enforcement the break they need in solving these cases.
According to
CCSO arrest reports, deputies were investigating a report of the theft of a
2005 red F-250 pickup from the parking lot of Whistlers Green Apartments in
Golden Gate early Thursday.
Deputies
located the stolen F-250 in the parking lot of Noah’s Landing Apartments in
Golden Gate. Deputies also located a
2002 blue F-350 parked nearby that had been reported stolen sometime Wednesday
night or Thursday morning from a residence in the 5000 block of 16th
Place Southwest in Golden Gate.
Deputies observed a White Crown Victoria pull
in front of the red F-250 and park. Hernandez, wearing white gloves, exited the
Crown Vic and entered the red F-250 and searched the front driver’s area. He
got out of the pickup and went back inside the Crown Vic and drove away.
Deputies conducted a traffic stop and arrested Hernandez, 10630 Noah’s Circle,
on two counts of grand theft auto. He was also charged with driving on a
suspended license for a fourth time.
In addition
to observing him inside the stolen F-250, deputies said Hernandez made
statements linking him to both stolen vehicles.
Sgt. Myers
said the red F-250 and the blue F-350 had similarities to other thefts in the
surrounding area including that the key entrys on both driver-side doors had
been punched out and the radios had been stolen.
“The methods
of operation were similar,” he said.
