Volusia County police arrested two Columbian nationals from Miami who allegedly burglarized the vehicles of multiple individuals while they were working at local ferneries.
According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, 25-year-old Daniel Rodriguez and 53-year-old Jose Rodriguez were arrested on Thursday in DeLand. The men are facing multiple charges for allegedly stealing cash, credit and debit cards, and personal information.
On Monday, August 15, a string of car burglaries was reported after fern workers who were working the fields returned to their vehicles and found that they had been burglarized. The men allegedly smashed the windows on multiple vehicles that were parked near different ferneries.
Deputies and detectives eventually determined that two men who had been using walkie-talkies and driving a white van were responsible for at least eight car break-ins.
On Thursday, another break-in was reported in the same area.
This time, witnesses told police they saw two males in a black, Ford F-150 leaving the scene.
After conducting witness and victim interviews, reviewing surveillance video, and obtaining vehicle and suspect descriptions, authorities were able to locate the black truck around 12:30 p.m. while it was driving on I-4 in DeLand.
A felony traffic stop was conducted and the two men were arrested without incident.
During a search of the vehicle, detectives located walkie-talkies, a large amount of cash, credit cards, several receipts, and newly purchased Apple electronics.
Both men face multiple counts of criminal mischief, burglary of a conveyance and grand theft, as well as illegal use of credit card. They were transported to the Volusia County Jail and each given a bond of $61,500, according to jail records.