By Anthony Payero
(HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla.) The Hernando County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday the arrest of a local couple that reportedly broke into multiple homes and stole nearly $70,000 worth of items while they were under construction, according to WFLA.
According to Sheriff Al Nienhuis, the sheriff’s office first learned on May 16 about the stealing after a homeowner said items amounting to $5,000 were taken out of their home, which was under construction. After a few weeks went by, the sheriff received more reports of similar incidents but from builders instead of homeowners.
On Sunday, around 12:30 a.m., the sheriff said a resident noted some suspicious activity at some nearby homes that were under construction. The sheriff said the neighbor approached the individuals, who were later identified as 36-year-old Jennifer Brewer and 40-year-old Rodney Brewer, and told them the authorities were on the way.
Despite the Brewers taking off, deputies were able to locate the moving truck they were traveling in, according to WFLA.
An investigation revealed to deputies that the couple used empty storage units at a nearby facility without paying for them.
According to Nienhuis, the couple completed 18 burglaries, three of which were linked to the empty storage units and 15 connected to homes under construction. They managed to steal $70,000 worth of construction supplies.
The Brewers are facing 19 counts of burglary and trespassing on a construction site. Rodney faces additional charges of three counts of drug possession and Jennifer faces two counts of drug possession, per WFLA.
“We want to send a very clear message to the criminals out there, just because construction has increased and the opportunity for this type of crime has increased, the likelihood of you getting away has not increased. We’re going to be all over it and we’re going to hold you accountable for it,” Nienhuis said.