SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A Tampa man was arrested Tuesday following a burglary at a Seminole County gated community — one in his decadeslong string of burglaries, according to the sheriff’s office.
According to an affidavit, 46-year-old Michael Ploehn entered the gated Alaqua subdivision in April around 12:30 a.m. and jumped over a wall into a resident’s yard.
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Pleohn then got into an unlocked truck in the yard, taking out two credit cards before going to another home nearby and driving off with the neighbor’s car, the affidavit shows.
While driving from the exit to Alaqua, Ploehn was seen sticking one of his hands up and flipping his middle finger at the gate camera, according to the affidavit.
Hours later, Ploehn stopped at a Walmart in Tampa and used the credit cards to purchase $600 in store gift cards, detectives said.
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According to deputies, Ploehn has an “extensive history of burglarizing the Alaqua and nearby communities,” and he’s been previously convicted for using personal information belonging to the resident whose credit cards he took.
In fact, detectives said that Ploehn has been the subject or suspect of around 25 burglaries in the area of the Alaqua neighborhood since 1993.
Due to the April theft, Ploehn faces charges of burglary, grand theft of a motor vehicle, two counts of attempted burglary and nine counts of criminal use of personal information.
He is being held on bond of $33,000.
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