JACKSON COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) — A suspect was arrested, and later confessed, in connection to an ongoing series of expensive door thefts.
Authorities have reported multiple cases of individuals stealing the doors from tractor trucks. The doors cost about $3,000 to $7,000 each, are hard to find on the open market, and force business owners to park the trucks while waiting for replacements.
Earlier this week a man allegedly connected to these thefts in Louisiana and Jackson County was arrested, according to court records.
Reinel Vigoa Hernandez, of Miami, was charged with grand theft after being arrested in Milton. Investigators with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office connected Hernandez to a vehicle spotted during a theft at Sapp’s Land Excavation during a March 5 theft of truck doors, headlights, and air breathers from tractor trucks. They later learned that Hernandez already had an arrest warrant from Acadia Parish in Louisiana for a similar crime there.
Hernandez’s vehicle was spotted on March 26 in Milton and he was arrested. Investigators said after he was arrested he confessed to being a getaway driver who was responsible for retrieving the doors and parts after they were removed. Court records state that Hernandez told authorities he took those parts to “unspecified locations” after the thefts.
Hernandez “gave the excuse that he became involved with this activity as a result of his child becoming sick and needing money to help pay for his medical needs,” his arrest affidavit states.
Hernandez was charged in Jackson County with one count of grand theft over $100,000. He also faces charges in Louisiana.
