A group of suspects staying in a Central Florida rental were all arrested.
Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies recently arrested 12 adults and three juveniles who were stealing food and drinks at the Davenport Wawa located on Old Lake Wilson Road. Local law enforcement said all of the suspects were staying in an AirBNB visiting Polk from other counties in Florida. A 16th suspect was arrested during the investigation for interfering with deputies while they were detaining the theft suspects.
“This is a classic case of people who came to our county, fooled around, and found out,” said Sheriff Grady Judd. “Now they’re all facing charges because they found it perfectly acceptable to go into the Wawa, grab what they wanted, and consume it without paying for it.”
Store employees contacted the Sheriff’s office after observing the suspects walking around the store, concealing bottled drinks and some food within their clothes. The group of people appeared to all know each other, and arrived at the store in three separate vehicles – a BMW, a Tesla, and a Honda Accord.
According to local law enforcement, the suspects, a mix of young adults and juveniles, were taking turns going into and out of the store during a 15-minute time span, some of them eating and drinking the items that they stole. They were also coordinating hiding one another from the store clerks by blocking the clerks’ view while their accomplices committed thefts.
The employees gave the deputies detailed descriptions of the suspects and their cars, and the suspects were still at the Wawa in the parking lot preparing to leave when deputies arrived.
Deputies secured all of the suspects and interviewed them, recovering some of the stolen items that had not yet been consumed and collecting the empty bottles and packages of the items they had. All of the suspects admitted to taking the items.
The items stolen and/or consumed were: Calypso drinks, Brisk ice tea, a bag of Cheetos, and a Ramen soup, with a total value of approximately $40, according to law enforcement. Deputies retrieved the video surveillance footage from the store as well which showed the coordinated thefts.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the suspects who committed the retail thefts are:
19-year-old Angel Quintero, from Winter Springs, FL
18-year-old Genaiya Saintira, from Hollywood, FL
19-year-old Valencia Saul, from Lantana, FL
20-year-old Pervaysia Laster, from Boynton Beach, FL
19-year-old Shenia Smith, from Parkland, FL
19-year-old Lillian Brown, from Hollywood, FL
18-year-old Sterllin Hyppolite, from Lauderdale Lakes, FL
21-year-old Davends Clerge, from Boynton Beach, FL
18-year-old Garvens Clerge, from Boynton Beach, FL
22-year-old Schneider Joseph, from Lantana, FL
21-year-old Richemond Seraphin, from Lantana, FL
18-year-old William Butler, from Lake Worth, FL
17-year-old Lorendy Sanon, from Boynton Beach, FL
17-year-old Berlinda Saul, from Lake Worth, FL
18-year-old Janeen Gonzalez, from Palm Beach, FL
All of the adult suspects were taken to the Polk County Jail, and the three juveniles were taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center. According to PCSO, they were all charged with petit theft and tampering with evidence. The 12 adults were also charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Schneider Joseph was additionally charged with violation of probation. Angel Quintero, Pervaysia Laster, and Davends Clerge were each additionally charged with possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia after deputies located the drugs in the BMW they occupied.
During the investigation, another suspect who did not appear to be with nor did he appear to know any of the suspects, approached and began yelling at the group of theft suspects to not cooperate with or speak to the deputies. Deputies told 18-year-old Jayden Murphy, from Pomona Park in Florida, to move away or leave the area so the deputies could continue with their investigation. He refused to adhere to the multiple verbal warnings and stayed within 17 feet of the deputies. He was arrested for violation of the “Halo Law” and charged with two counts harassing first responders and two counts resisting arrest. Florida’s “Halo law” FSS 843.31 establishes a 25-foot buffer zone around active law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel. Bystanders who intentionally enter or remain in the buffer area after receiving a verbal warning may be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor.
