WINTER PARK, Fla. – Two men and an 18-year-old woman were arrested Friday on suspicion of hauling off more than $10,000 in items from a Winter Park home.
Kenneth Morales, 20, Andrew Reyes, 18, and Yanice Ramirez, 18, were booked into the John E. Polk Correctional Facility in Seminole County on charges of burglary, grand theft and criminal mischief.
According to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, the trio was caught after returning in a U-Haul truck for a second haul.
Deputies said a man and his daughter were taking a walk and witnessed the trio removing items from the home, which belongs to a family member, and loading them into the U-Haul truck.
Local 6 spoke to Diana Tompkins, who said she witnessed the U-Haul backed up to her sister's house and that the suspects claimed her sister knew they were there.
"They sat there like, 'Amanda, Amanda.' And they said they called her and she had given approval and stuff like that and the whole time they were lying," Tompkins said.
They called Amanda Volence, who went to her Winter Park home and discovered a side door had been kicked in and property was missing, according to deputies.
As she was calling the Sheriff's Office to report the crime, the trio returned to the scene in the truck but fled when they realized the victim was now home, deputies said.
The Sheriff's Office said Volence got in her car and followed the U-Haul, giving authorities updates on her location.
"I believe they got out and jumped over the fence," Volence told dispatchers in the 911 call.
The trio bailed from the truck near Casselwood and State Road 436 in Casselberry but were quickly caught by deputies.
The suspects took several items, including Swarovski crystal figurines, high-end kitchen equipment, dining room furniture and a couch, totaling more than $10,000.
When deputies looked into the U-Haul, it was empty. Deputies said they believe the thieves offloaded the stolen goods somewhere else before returning to steal more.
Tompkins' items have not yet been recovered.