DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, Fla. – Two men face burglary charges after being arrested in Daytona Beach Shores, accused of stealing goods from a gas station that was damaged during Hurricane Milton.
Both alleged burglaries occurred Thursday at the CyberFuels gas station in the 1900 block of South Atlantic Avenue, according to the Daytona Beach Shores Police Department.
Timothy Work, 65, was the first to be arrested, the police department said in a statement.
Officers were made aware around 10:50 a.m. of a potential burglary at the gas station, which had been left with its entire front window broken out as Milton rocked the region.
Two city employees who were on the ground to assess damage allegedly saw Work climb through the shattered window and later exit the building with merchandise that he threw into the back of a pickup truck, which he quickly drove away upon noticing the employees watching him.
The employees followed Work to a nearby property, where officers soon approached him and recovered the merchandise — comprised of snacks, tobacco products and condoms — after he reportedly admitted to stealing it, the statement reads. Work faces charges of grand theft from a dwelling and burglary of an unoccupied structure, records show.
Around 5:35 p.m., police were notified that a man — later identified as 36-year-old Austin Ryan — had also entered the gas station through its broken window.
Ryan was allegedly in the business for some time before exiting with a merchandise-filled bag, a separate police statement reads. Officers caught up to Ryan at another property where he was allegedly examining the items in the bag, what the police department said contained snacks, alcohol and tobacco products.
Ryan tried to brush past the officers and was stopped, soon found to also be in possession of a knife, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, police said. Ryan was arrested to face charges of petit theft, loitering or prowling, possession of a controlled substance, possession of paraphernalia and burglary of an occupied dwelling, records show.
According to police, the accused looters’ charges will be enhanced due to the prevalent state of emergency.
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