A teen is arrested after being caught on camera stealing from a neighbor.
Craig Richardson’s fishing rods and tackle were stolen from him at least three times since Thanksgiving. He installed a camera in his backyard and soon enough found who was stealing his gear.
According to St. Petersburg police, the 15-year-old was caught on the camera on Monday, climbing over Richardson’s fence and taking the items.
Richardson posted the photos on his Facebook page and within minutes several friends identified the teen as frequenting local fishing shops and nearby fishing spots.
“I need your help to catch a thief who has robbed our house 4 times in a 5 week period,” Richardson writes on Facebook. “I caught him on my ‘hunt’ camera last night stealing equipment under my tiki at 3:20am. He is white, under 6′, blond hair, appears young maybe under 18, might wear glasses, and was wearing a light colored ‘Hollister’ brand hoodie. He has now stolen close to $5K worth of equipment from yard and skiff! I’d like to offer a $500 cash reward plus a free tarpon charter for anyone providing me information to lead to his arrest.”
Richardson then found the suspect on Facebook and matched the photos. He reported the thief and all the information he gathered to St. Pete police detectives on Monday and in turn they arrested the juvenile the same day. He’s charged with residential burglary.
