Volusia County, FL - Volusia County Sheriff's Office (VCSO) booked a 19-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy for a crime spree including a home burglary, two car thefts, three car break-ins, and several stolen guns.
19-year-old Kelly Shaw, a convicted felon, is one of the two arrested for the crime spree that was first reported at around 5:30 AM Thursday on the 3800 block of Cardinal Blvd. in Port Orange. A resident there woke up and noticed his home had been robbed. There were several items missing, including a shotgun. The man's Corvette convertible and his Chevrolet Silverado were also missing.
Down the street, three other vehicles were burglarized, and a revolver was stolen from one of them, according to VCSO.
A video surveillance system at the home captured the victim's vehicles pulling out of the driveway and captured what police say are the two suspects in the man's house. VCSO says the two even entered the man's bedroom while he was sleeping. The man noticed that his iPad mini was among the missing items. He was able to track down the iPad, using the “Find my iPad” app, to a hotel located at 3221 S. Atlantic Ave. in Daytona Beach Shores.
VCSO and Daytona Beach Shores Department of Public Safety responded to the hotel and spotted the stolen Corvette. They also noticed a white Hyundai pulling in next to it. Five people got out of the Hyundai and went into a room at the hotel. Detectives ran the tags and found that the Hyundai was also stolen out of Daytona Beach.
The five people detectives spotted before came back out of the hotel room and tried to leave in the Hyundai. That's when they were taken into custody in the parking lot and brought in for questioning. Shaw was armed with a concealed semi-automatic handgun, and the 14-year-old was armed with a concealed .22 revolver at the time.
The three others, who are juveniles, were determined not to be involved in the crimes and were released to their parents. Detectives searched the hotel room and found several items linking Shaw and the 14-year-old to the burglary, including the shotgun taken from the house. A .44 magnum was also recovered and determined to be stolen from New Smyrna Beach.
Detectives believe they planned to use the guns to commit armed robberies later on. "They were certainly equipped to do it," says Andrew Gant, Public Affairs Officer for VCSO. "They had stolen these guns, committed who knows how many car breaks in east Volusia County recently and were certainly ready to continue that."
Shaw faces several charges, including Armed Burglary of an Occupied Dwelling, three counts of Grand Theft Auto, Carrying a Concealed Firearm, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor. The 14-year-old was charged with one count of Grand Theft Auto, Possession of a Firearm by a Minor, and Carrying a Concealed Firearm.
Additional charges are likely against the two as police in Edgewater and New Smyrna are investigating their potential involvement in a series of crimes, including a home burglary, a series of car breaks, and several stolen guns.
"Thanks to the quick work of the deputies and police departments down there, and our victim, who had a good surveillance system and a 'Find my iPad' app, we were able to put a stop to these kids' crime spree before it really escalated into something potentially violent," says Gant.
You can find surveillance video, courtesy of VCSO,
here.
(Shaw's mugshot courtesy Volusia County jail)
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