Earlier this year several burglaries were carried out in Port Charlotte, Florida.  Most of the thefts were targeted at cars and items left in gardens.  We recently reported on ladder thefts and taking of other items from outside properties and this latest incident just goes to show that criminals will think nothing of taking whatever they can get their hands on easily.  In each of the crime reports for the Port Charlotte burglaries, the vehicles were left unlocked or the items taken were not secured away.

On the following Sunday, one of the people who had been burgled, spotted a ladder very similar to the one that had been stolen from him.  He was surprised to see this ladder in his neighbour’s yard, along with several other items that matched what had been taken from other neighbours in the area.  Having ask to borrow the ill-fated ladder, he took a photo of it and sent it to his friend for identification.  When his friend confirmed that yes, that was his ladder leaning up against the thief’s house, the neighbour called the police to report his findings.

Detectives got a search warrant and explored the property the next day, finding even more stolen property inside the house, owned by Brenton Mitchell Schreer, 23.  They also found he had sold a number of tools and coins at a pawn shop on the Tuesday of the thefts.  Police were able to reunite most of the stolen property with its rightful owners, and Schreer is being held in custody facing more than fourteen charges relating to the burglaries.  It just goes to show, crime doesn’t pay (especially if you are stupid enough to leave the stolen property in full view of the people it was taken from!).