Police searching for the culprits allegedly involved in a string of car burglaries in Florida were able to nab one suspect who was wearing a GPS ankle monitor during the heists, officials say.
Joshua Reed, 19, already out on bond for grand theft auto in Broward County with a pending case in Palm Beach County was brought before the Miami-Dade County Court on Thursday for his alleged connection to a car heist in that county all because he was wearing an ankle monitor, WPLG Local 10 News reported.
Police: Man, 19, wore Broward court’s GPS ankle monitor during Miami-Dade crime spree https://t.co/UjcNbYqw5J pic.twitter.com/eF078EmM8I
— WPLG Local 10 News (@WPLGLocal10) January 13, 2023
“We were able to track this guy who is responsible for 14 cases,” Sergeant Fernando Bosch of the South Miami Police Department told the outlet.
Reed is allegedly part of a group of criminals whose modus operandi is to break into homes in search of key fobs for luxury vehicles, WPLG reported.
Surveillance video from one of the homes dated Jan 7 shows a group of three men wearing dark-colored clothing attempting to break out the hurricane-proof windows of a newly built South Miami home. One of the individuals picks up a boulder and repeatedly throws it against the glass before using a 2×4 propped up against a tree in the yard to smash into the home all while the family were asleep inside.
In the end, the thieves got away with a Mercedes parked in the driveway, but police believe the crooks were after the Bentley in the garage, the outlet stated.
Reed has been charged with four counts of burglary of an occupied dwelling, four counts of burglary of an unoccupied structure, two counts of first-degree grand theft, two counts of second-degree grand theft, third-degree grand theft of a vehicle, armed grand theft of a vehicle, and criminal mischief, according to the outlet.
Police are still searching for the other two suspects.