The Fort Myers man arrested Tuesday on loitering charges was charged Wednesday with the armed burglary of an occupied residence on Oil Well Road.
Detectives investigating the occupied residential burglary of a residence on Oil Well Road in Punta Gorda added charges of Burglary of an Occupied Residence While Armed and Grand Theft to the Loitering and Prowling charges filed against Stephen Adam Twyman, 19, of 1605 Oakley Avenue in Fort Myers.
On Tuesday October 8, the Sheriff’s Office received a report from a woman that three men had broken into her Oil Well Road residence while she was home with her infant child. The three suspects were all dressed in black or dark clothing with ski masks and fled the residence after she saw them.
While heading to the residence, detectives stopped along Oil Well Road to speak with a man, later identified as Twyman, who was walking toward US 41. An officer from the nearby Charlotte Correctional Institute told them he had seen Twyman coming out of the woods not far from the victim’s residence. However, when the CCI officer saw him, he was wearing different clothing. Twyman was initially charged with Loitering and Prowling.
During the investigation, Twyman’s clothing he had been wearing when the CCI officer saw him was found in a ditch along the road. A black folding pocket knife was found with the clothing. Detectives also took Twyman’s Vans brand shoes as evidence after he was in custody. Most of the property the victim reported as having been stolen was located and recovered. Found among the items of recovered stolen property were two knives that did not belong to the victim.
Several shoe prints were discovered in the driveway of the victim’s house that did not match those of the homeowners. Similar shoe prints were found inside the house. On Wednesday, Crime Scene Technicians did a comparison of Twyman’s Vans brand shoes to the impressions found at the burglarized house and determined them to be a match.
Twyman remains in the Charlotte County Jail on no bond.
Detectives are continuing their investigation into the burglary. Anyone with information on this case or the identity of the other two suspects is asked to please call the Sheriff’s Office at (941) 639-2101, or Crime Stoppers at 800-780-TIPS (8477).