POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – A man accused in a series of construction equipment thefts throughout the county has been arrested, Broward Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Gina Carter said Tuesday.
According to an incident report, Dwight Pearson, 25, broke into a work truck belonging to Tower Power and Communications Inc. owner Jason Calvert on March 26.
Calvert told authorities that $9,100 worth of equipment was stolen from inside the Ford F250 in Pompano Beach. He said the thief also tried to steal the truck, but was unsuccessful.
According to the report, detectives reviewed surveillance video showing a driver backing a Ford F150 next to Calvert's truck. A man sitting in the front passenger seat is seen getting out and burglarizing Calvert's truck.
Police said the driver opened the door and threw a Four Loko can on the ground before throwing up.
The can and the residue on the ground from where the man got sick were processed at the BSO lab for DNA.
Detectives said a maroon or red Dodge Charger was also in the area around the time of the burglary, and the driver appeared to know the men inside the white Ford F150.
Items stolen from inside Calvert's truck included an HP laptop, a T-Mobile tablet, a T-Mobile Wi-Fi hotspot, a camera, two full sets of work gear, a Hula Cam, 10 carabiners, two hard hats, a Cathead and a socket set.
Detectives believe that Pearson is involved in at least a half-dozen burglaries involving construction equipment, stealing items such as saws, wiring and other expensive equipment.
Detectives said the thefts occurred over the span of several weeks.
The first incident was reported March 20 at the Jersey Dawg food truck, which was parked at 1920 Tigertail Blvd. in Dania Beach.
Deputies said two men driving a white Ford 150 stole a Honda generator with a red frame.
Surveillance video shows the thieves later in the afternoon loading two large cardboard boxes onto their truck. Authorities said the boxes contained two Honda Engine lower ends valued at $2,800 each.
Minutes later, the men gained access to a storage container belonging to Ocean Bay Construction at 5380 SW 27th Ave, detectives said. They stole several items, including a Troy-Bilt generator, a 420 Stihl saw, a Wacker Jumping Jack compactor and several other tools.
"We had been robbed three other times at the same storage area for the construction site," owner Sierra Evans said.
Police said they were able to identify Pearson, who lives in Miami, through tips from the public.
Pearson faces burglary and grand theft charges.
Detectives are still searching for another man believed to be involved in the crime ring that spans from Miami-Dade to Broward County.
Authorities recovered some of the construction tools from Pearson's home, but said the majority of the items had been sold or pawned.
"This is a new business for me in Florida and it's happened twice in three months," Boyd Tomkies, who owns Brig Boats, said.
The white pickup used in the burglaries was also recovered and was reported stolen out of the city of Fort Lauderdale, detectives said.
Anyone with information about the other man involved in the burglaries is asked to call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.