BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Two men in a pickup truck with “stolen tag” written on a piece of cardboard to serve as a license plate were arrested in connection with multiple burglaries in Brevard County, according to sheriff’s officials.
Anthony Sosa, 31, and Chad Doulette, 36, were taken into custody Thursday and face multiple charges of grand theft and burglary.
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According to a probable cause affidavit, the pickup was spotted Wednesday at several houses on Tropical Trail on Merritt Island, where the burglaries occurred.
The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said jewelry worth thousands of dollars and a handgun were stolen from the homes.
One of Brevard County’s most scenic streets isn’t known for crime, but resident Mark Skwarvk said he can understand what might attract thieves to the neighborhood. Home values are in the millions.
“The affluence of the area would make it enticing, but it’s just the one road in and out,” Skwarvk said. “It’s too easy to get caught.”
One of the homeowners reported to deputies that the pickup had a piece of cardboard that read “stolen tag” attached where the license plate should be. The pickup was later seen on Pineda Causeway in Melbourne and was pulled over by authorities, according to the affidavit.
“People who commit crimes like these are not the sharpest tools in the shed,” Skwarvk told News 6.
The affidavit said deputies searched the vehicle and found the stolen jewelry and handgun in the pickup.
The sheriff’s office said Sosa and Doulette were both convicted in the past on charges of grand theft and attempted burglary, respectively, in Lee County.
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