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Excellent teamwork by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, and Fort Walton Beach Police Department led to five arrests in connection with more than sixty smash and grab car burglaries stretching from across Destin through the City of Fort Walton Beach.
The OCSO had 47 smash and grab car burglaries reported during one daytime shift alone in its east district. In four of those cases, firearms were stolen from the vehicles. In addition, the Fort Walton Beach Police Department had at least 14 similar car break-ins, with one firearm stolen. During the investigation, the OCSO developed information on a possible suspect vehicle, a 2006 Chevy Impala. An address for the registered owner came back to a location in Navarre.
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office located the vehicle at 1859 Prado Street. Deputies and officers from all three agencies responded and detained five individuals who are now in custody, facing multiple counts of car burglary and armed burglary.
19-YEAR OLD LADARIA MCCOY OF NEW ORLEANS
22-YEAR OLD DESHAUN DAVIS OF PRADO STREET IN NAVARRE
17-YEAR OLD JYRAN MCCOY OF NEW ORLEANS
17-YEAR OLD JERMAINE JONES OF NEW ORLEANS
15-YEAR OLD ELYSSA MASSEY OF NEW ORLEANS
OCSO investigators say on August 19th between 1:30 and 3:30 a.m., Ladaria McCoy drove the other four co-defendants around to various loca-tions in south Okaloosa County to commit smash and grab car burglaries. The goal was reportedly to get money and property for Ladaria McCoy to get back to New Orleans.
All five stolen firearms were recovered. The investigation is continuing.
OCSO Major Eric Aden says, “This type of solid interagency cooperation is a win/win for our citizens and visitors alike. These individuals were looking for quick cash and guns but our strong local partnerships between citizens, businesses, and law enforcement worked to put an end to their crime spree.”
Fort Walton Beach Police Chief Robert Bage adds, “This case was resolved expeditiously because of the excellent partnership and coordination among our three agencies. Working together results in positive outcomes for our citizens. I would like to remind everyone to always remove valua-bles from vehicles and to lock vehicle doors to help prevent crimes like these.”
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office has additional key details in reference to their vital role in the case. For that information, please contact the SRCSO.
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