Four arrested for boat burglaries

Key Largo – Four people from Miami were arrested early on Christmas morning, caught in the act burglarizing a boat in Key Largo.

Sheriff’s dispatchers received a call at 2:45 a.m. from a man who lives on Island Drive. He said he was looking out the window and could see someone on his boat, docked behind the house.

Deputies James Warino, Tony Conde, Matthew O’Neill and Sgt. E.B. Askins responded. When they arrived, they saw the cabin door of the boat ajar; they ordered the two men on board to come out and lie down on the boat’s deck. The men complied with the orders.

Investigations revealed they had two backpacks with them, and were using screwdrivers to remove the electronics from the console of the boat.

Detective Sgt. David Carey responded, along with Crime Scene Detective Barney Sajdak. The victim told them he’d seen a strange car parked in a nearby vacant lot. The two detectives approached the car and found two women inside. The women admitted they were in Key Largo with the men caught burglarizing the boat. Both women said they knew what them men were up to, but did not report the illegal activity to the police. One of them said she’d been to the Keys before with her boyfriend to “steal things”.

In the car, detectives found two GPS systems, a flat screen television and other electronics. An investigation of homes nearby revealed another vessel with damage and missing electronics. The owner was contacted and he identified one of the GPS devices as belonging to his boat.

All four people were arrested. 26 year old Victor Matias and 21 year old Terrance McCray were both charged with two counts each of burglary, criminal mischief and possession  of burglary tools; 25 year old ***name expunged***  and 18 year old Jackqlin McCray were both charged with two counts each of being an accessory after the fact to those crimes.

Investigations into their activities is continuing. Detectives say they believe the group may have been involved in other boat burglaries which have taken place in the upper Keys in recent weeks.