A 16-year-old slithered through the security bars of a Florida gun store and made off with 37 guns, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office says.
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office photo
A 16-year-old boy was able to heist more than three dozen guns from a store by using his willowy build to slither between the door’s security bars, according to investigators in North Florida.
The total value of the theft came to $25,859.63, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said in a May 23 news release.
Why the boy wanted 37 guns was not revealed, but only 34 have been recovered, the sheriff’s office said.
“The investigation is ongoing into the other missing three,” officials said.
The teen was arrested Wednesday, May 22, nearly a month after deputies recovered most of the guns, officials said. The boy lives in Palm Coast.
“A source close to the investigation located the stolen weapons and turned them into detectives. The handguns, magazines, and long guns were positively identified as belonging to Pioneer Guns & Ammo,” the sheriff’s office said.
Pioneer Guns & Ammo discovered the burglary around 8 a.m. on March 27, after a neighboring business noticed the store’s door was broken. The business is near Bunnell, about a 60-mile drive south from Jacksonville.
“Evidence at the scene indicated the burglary occurred at 2:15 a.m. Surveillance camera footage showed the suspect entering the closed business by breaking a glass door and slithering through the security bars,” the sheriff’s office said.
“After forcing open a display case, the suspect stole multiple handguns and two long guns.”
Traces of blood were found, indicating the suspect cut himself during the burglary, officials said.
Investigators didn’t say if the teen was a person of interest before or after the guns were found, but a digital forensics unit “discovered incriminating text messages” on his cell phone, officials said.
“Additionally, DNA experts matched (his) DNA with the DNA left at the crime scene during the burglary,” officials said.
The teen was arrested and charged with “burglary while armed with a firearm and grand theft over $20,000 with damage over $1,000,” officials said.
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Mark Price
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