Florida man who broke into bakery wearing red Crocs to steal cash for food and alcohol arrested on August 1
BROOKSVILLE, FLORIDA: A Florida man found himself in cuffs after allegedly breaking into a local bakery and stealing money to splurge on food and alcohol. The suspect's distinctive choice of footwear, a pair of red Crocs, played a crucial role in his identification and subsequent arrest. The incident occurred at Crumbl Cookie, situated at 7069 Coastal Boulevard in Brooksville. According to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, on the night of the burglary, a suspect dressed in a black sweatshirt, black pants, and red Crocs forced entry into the bakery through a side door. The individual made off with cash from both the safe and the cash register. The suspect was also spotted wearing a black mask and carrying a brown and black backpack.
Who is Jacob Ortega?
Suspicion quickly fell on a former employee of Crumbl Cookie, Jacob Ortega, as the manager informed detectives that Ortega had a distinctive habit of always wearing red Crocs and carrying a backpack of a similar description. Detectives collected video footage from surrounding businesses, which revealed a vehicle present in the area at the time of the burglary. They believed the suspect might have been using this vehicle for his criminal activity.
On August 1, detectives traced the vehicle's owner to his residence. The owner revealed that he had received a call from Ortega around 2 am on July 20, requesting a ride to the Coastal Plaza, where Crumbl Cookie was located, to make a drug deal. The owner dropped off Ortega at the plaza and later picked him up near the Home Goods store. During their conversation with the vehicle's owner, he disclosed that Ortega had mentioned he obtained money from the burglary and had stored some of it inside the vehicle. The detectives then searched the vehicle and found cash in the glove compartment, which they confiscated as evidence.
Suspect confesses to burglary
Confronted by the evidence, Ortega confessed to his involvement in the burglary. He further admitted that he still possessed the codes to the bakery's door, safe, and register from his previous employment, which he used to gain access to the establishment and steal the cash. Ortega claimed he spent a significant portion of the stolen money on food and alcohol for himself and his friends. The rest of the money was reportedly stored in his friend's vehicle.
As a result of his confession and the substantial physical evidence, Ortega was placed under arrest and now faces charges of burglary structure (with a mask enhancer), grand theft, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device. His bond has been set at $12,000. The investigation into the burglary is still ongoing as authorities continue to gather information related to the case, Fox 13 reported.
Florida's stream of peculiar crimes
This incident is just the latest in a string of quirky "Florida man" theft cases. Recently, 31-year-old William Colon was arrested for stealing a truck after a night of drinking at a bar. Unable to find his own vehicle's keys, he opted to "borrow" the Chevrolet pickup truck in the bar's parking lot. He eventually got caught driving the stolen vehicle back home by the police. The Port St Lucie Police Department's Facebook post about the man's unusual motive quickly went viral. The post was titled "Man Arrested for Stealing Truck from Bar Parking Lot Because He Needed a Ride Home."
In another unrelated case, 28-year-old Justin McCall was sentenced to 20 years in prison for a series of burglaries. McCall gained media attention after accidentally shooting himself in the leg during one of his criminal endeavors. The State Attorney, Ginger Bowden Madden, released a statement indicating that McCall not only stole miscellaneous items from the vehicles he burglarized but also took a firearm from an unsecured vehicle.