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Chaotic crime spree unfolds as accused burglar crashes 2 stolen cars, Florida cops say

The stolen Jeep was found crashed outside a home on Olive Avenue in Lake Wales, Florida, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office says.
The stolen Jeep was found crashed outside a home on Olive Avenue in Lake Wales, Florida, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office says. Street View image from July 2024. © 2024 Google

A “one man crime wave” came to a strange conclusion when a then-23-year-old crashed the second of two stolen vehicles in someone’s yard, according to investigators in Florida.

The suspect, who turned 24 on Jan. 1, who sports an “Alone” tattoo under his right eye, is now facing nine charges, which were accrued in a matter of hours, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office says.

“Our deputies catch him on, like, his third burglary,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says in a video posted Jan. 2 on Facebook.

“Did I tell you he also had some meth? Of course, you got to have meth in order to do a lot of damage and a lot of crime in short order. ... He’s not ‘alone’ any more. He’s in the county jail, with a lot of company.”

The crime spree occurred Dec. 18 and began when someone reported a Polaris Utility Terrain Vehicle stolen in Lake Wales, about a 50-mile drive southwest from Orlando.

It was discovered abandoned, with $7,000 worth of damage from crashing into a tree, according to an affidavit.

“As the UTV was located, the theft of a white 2022 Jeep Cherokee ... was being reported,” the report says. “The locations of the UTV and Jeep are approximately 0.1 miles apart.”

The Jeep turned up in someone’s yard, with about $4,000 in damage. And a man “matching the suspect’s clothing description, walked out of the residence,” officials said.

“The suspect ... had the victim’s Jeep keys in his hand,” the sheriff’s office said. “He advised Russia and China were controlling him.”

The suspect was arrested and charged with:

  • Grand theft between $5,000 and $10,000
  • Grand theft of a motor vehicle
  • Petit theft second offense
  • Burglary of an unoccupied conveyance
  • Driving without a license
  • Possession of a controlled substance (meth)
  • Possession of drug paraphernalia
  • Leaving the scene of an accident
  • Prowling
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This story was originally published January 3, 2025 at 9:56 AM with the headline "Chaotic crime spree unfolds as accused burglar crashes 2 stolen cars, Florida cops say."

MP
Mark Price
The Charlotte Observer
Mark Price is a state reporter for The Charlotte Observer and McClatchy News outlets in North Carolina. He joined the network of newspapers in 1991 at The Charlotte Observer, covering beats including schools, crime, immigration, LGBTQ issues, homelessness and nonprofits. He graduated from the University of Memphis with majors in journalism and art history, and a minor in geology. 
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