By Tamas Mondovics
After days of searching, HCSO detectives have identified and issued a search warrant for a burglary suspect caught in a surveillance video while burglarizing several residences in Valrico last month.
Donnell Lamar Jones, 34, of Plant City is now on the run as detectives are asking for the public’s assistance in locating the cat burglar who has reportedly stolen purses, electronics, and other items from four homes in the Valrico area between Tuesday, December 30, 2014 at 2 a.m., and Wednesday, December 31, 2014 at 4 a.m., while victims slept in their beds.
Homes hit during the two evenings included two on Golden Oak Ln., one home on Royal Tuscan Ln. and another home on Castle Stone Ct., all in Valrico.
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) Public Information Officer Larry McKinnon said that in each case the suspect entered the homes through a rear door.
“In two of the cases, the suspect forced entry with an unknown tool,” McKinnon said. “The other two cases, the rear doors were left unlocked.”
In one of the cases, detectives learned that a suspicious vehicle was seen driving with its lights off. It was described as a large, four-door sedan with tinted windows.
The driver was described as a black male, with long dread locks, wearing a white sweatshirt.
Shortly after the burglaries, the victim’s credit cards were used at various stores in Hillsborough and Polk counties. A lone, black male subject is captured on video surveillance from these stores.
Detectives have also said that a Lincoln Town Car driven by the suspect was captured on video surveillance, similarly described by a witness from Golden Oak Ln.
“Residents should be extra vigilant in securing their homes and reporting any suspicious persons or vehicles,” McKinnon said.
HCSO said the burglaries are an isolated incident.
Warrants now out for Jones includes: Burglary; Organized Scheme to Defraud; Possession of Stolen Credit Card; Fraudulent Use of Credit Card and Grand Theft.
Anyone with any information reference these suspects is asked to call the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at 247-8200 or anyone with any information regarding the identity and whereabouts of these suspects and who wants to be eligible for a cash reward is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477), report anonymously online at www.crimestopperstb.comor text “CSTB plus your tip” to C-R-I-M-E-S (274637).
