VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Volusia County deputies at the Welcome to Rockville 2024 music festival in Daytona Beach arrested six people Friday accused of stealing dozens of cellphones.
The sheriff’s office responded to the festival that evening amid reports of as many as 100 cellphones being stolen by around 11 p.m., as well as a large number of credit cards and other personal property, according to an arrest affidavit.
Multiple witnesses were able to identify individuals believed to have been responsible for the thefts, what the sheriff’s office said led to the six arrests — of four women and two men — some of whom were described as “Colombian nationals who entered the U.S. illegally, lived in Los Angeles, and recently moved to Miami,” the agency said on social media.
The following individuals arrested Friday face varying amounts of grand theft charges in the case.
- Brandon Paez Diaz, 31
- Eight charges of grand theft between $750 and $5,000
- David Medina Cervantes, 33
- Grand theft between $750 and $5,000
- Jessica Bonova-Pajar, 33
- Forty-eight charges of grand theft between $750 and $5,000
- Brenda Moros, 41
- Forty-eight charges of grand theft between $750 and $5,000
- “Jane Doe,” 41
- Eight charges of grand theft between $750 and $5,000
- “Jane Doe,” 38
- Eight charges of grand theft between $750 and $5,000
The narrative given in the affidavit describes the group working in pairs. One person would reach into victims’ pockets, bags or purses to retrieve their contents before briefly meeting with the other person in what appeared to be a handoff, investigators said.
Moros is accused of possessing and — upon seeing deputies approaching her — attempting to discard a Faraday bag, which are designed to block electronic signals. The bag contained several changes of clothes and 48 cellphones, according to the sheriff’s office.
In all, the sheriff’s office said “there are too many victims to list on the affidavit and some of the victims are still coming forward to claim their stolen property.”
The two “Jane Does” were referred to as such “due to detectives being unable to positively identify (them) likely as a result of their immigration status,” the affidavit states.
Sheriff Mike Chitwood was scheduled to give remarks on the arrests around noon Saturday.
This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.
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