Palm Beach Criminal Lawyer – Burglary Suspects Caught on Webcam

Tony and Jeanne Thomas live in Boynton Beach, in southern Broward County. The couple’s home was burglarized several times last year, beginning in October. The burglars took expensive valuables, like jewelry and a collection of rare coins. Smaller things disappeared, too, on other occasions. The couple’s crockpot and ice cream maker were stolen. Frustrated, the Thomases had no idea who could be stealing the items from their home. Fort Lauderdale criminal lawyer William Moore says home burglaries may increase during economic tough times, as people scramble for cash or have too much free time due to unemployment.

With the problem growing more frightening, Jeanne Thomas purchased a surveillance system that allowed her to view the video in her home from a third location. She installed the $250 monitoring system over her husband’s protests that she would never find anything with it. Jeanne did not find anything interesting at first, discovering only that the dogs played on the couches while she was at work. After awhile, she stopped watching the surveillance.

Thomas, who works at Keiser University in Fort Lauderdale, had a bad feeling one morning this week. She logged onto the surveillance system online to get a look inside her home. ”It was the strangest feeling. I had a feeling something wasn’t right. When I went on, I saw a person standing in my house,” Thomas said.

Thomas dialed 911 as soon as she saw the images. She kept watching as she talked to the operator while 18 Boynton Beach police officers surrounded the home. The family pets were upset, she told the operator. Thomas watched the burglars take valuable items from her home, including a flat-screen television and a video game system.

Boynton Beach police arrested the two suspects who were inside the home. Altogether, there were four suspects eventually arrested. The young men who were arrested are Curtis Williams, 20; Steven Morales, 19; Scott George, 20; and Jonathan Cruz, 20. The Thomases knew Cruz prior to the incident. Jeanne Thomas said that her husband even gave Cruz rides when he was a child. The Thomases were friendly with him and said it had never occurred to them that Cruz would have been involved in burglarizing their home.

All of the suspects confessed to their involvement in the burglary. Fort Lauderdale criminal attorney Moore says would-be burglars might do well to follow the advice of Jeanne Thomas: be careful, because “[y]ou never know who is watching you.”

Broward criminal lawyer William Moore has experience in all kinds of criminal defense, including sex crimes and DUI. A conviction for a felony or misdemeanor can have consequences on your freedom, your employment, and your personal life. If you have been arrested or charged with a crime in the south Florida area, contact William Moore, P.A., which has offices in Fort Lauderdale-Dade, Broward, and Fort Lauderdale Counties.