Deputies: Teen suspects, missing girl arrested in Polk County car burglaries

Duo accused of trying to hide from deputies in retention pond

POLK COUNTY, Fla. – Four suspects, including a 16-year-old girl who had been reported missing out of Orlando, were arrested Tuesday in connection with more than a dozen vehicle burglaries in the Davenport area, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies said they were called to the Loma Del Sol neighborhood around 2 a.m. in reference to a group of people approaching parked vehicles and then leaving in a dark-colored pickup truck.

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When deputies arrived and approached a truck that matched the description the caller had given, the four occupants jumped out of the vehicle, which had been reported stolen out of Orlando, and fled in different directions, according to a news release.

Deputies said two of the suspects were found hiding in a retention pond and the other two were found walking through the neighborhood. It's also possible that a fifth, unidentified person was involved, according to authorities.

Lazarus Mauvais, 18, and brothers 19-year-old Keshawn Hodge and Keith Hodge, 20, all of Apopka, and a 16-year-old girl with a past criminal record who had been reported missing out of Orlando were arrested, officials said. 

They are charged with 15 counts of burglary conveyance, two counts of attempted burglary conveyance, four counts of petit theft, three counts of grand theft, 17 counts of conspiracy to commit burglary conveyance, three counts of conspiracy to commit grand theft, grand theft motor vehicle, conspiracy to commit grand theft motor vehicle, loitering and prowling.

Deputies said they believe the group is responsible for more than a dozen vehicle burglaries in the Loma Vista, West Haven and Four Corners neighborhoods.

"All four of these suspects have been in trouble before, and yet here they are again, out committing even more crimes. Our detectives are working with other law enforcement agencies in the Orlando area to see if they are connected with any recent burglaries there as well. We commend the residents in the area who saw something and said something -- without that, we would not have caught these suspects so quickly," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.

All four suspects have criminal records that include felony charges.

The teenage girl was taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center in Bartow and the other three suspects were booked into the Polk County Jail.


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