(PORT CHARLOTTE) Charlotte County Sheriff’s detectives arrested two teens on a total of 34 charges in connection with “carhopping” burglaries to unlocked vehicles in Port Charlotte. Arrested were Ronald Rowland Lawrenz, 16, 4133 Michel Tree Street and Derrick Alexander Crissinger, 19, 4041 Kinney Street, both of Port Charlotte.
CCSO received complaints from residents on Feb. 16, all in the 1100 blocks of LeMars, Lodi and Beaumont avenues. Stolen were several GPS units, cameras, a cell phone and charger. The CCSO detective’s investigation led to Lawrenz and Crissinger as the prime suspects. They located Crissinger Monday who said he and Lawrenz when carhopping around 3 a.m. specifically looking for unlocked vehicles. He said Lawrenz threw several of the items into a canal fearing they could be tracked. Crissinger took detectives to the area pointing out the location of some of the vehicle burglaries and where the property was thrown into the canal. The unlocked vehicles were all within walking distance in Lawrenz’s neighborhood. Lawrenz was located by detectives but he refused to provide any statements.
Lawrenz and Crissinger were arrested on six counts each for Burglary to an Unoccupied Conveyance; six counts of Petit Theft; and one count each for Grand Theft. Lawrenz was additionally charged with six counts of Juvenile Probation. Crissinger was additionally charged with Violation of Probation (Robbery). Crissinger remains in the Charlotte County Jail on no bond; Lawrenz was transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Ft. Myers for 21-days.
Sheriff Bill Prummell reminds motorists to, “Always lock your vehicles; unlocked cars and trucks are easy targets for those looking for cell phones, GPS units, satellite radios, money, wallets, purses, CD’s, iPods, drugs and weapons left in unsecured vehicles. Thieves quietly get in and out of unlocked vehicles in seconds which could be prevented by simply locking them.”