Detectives look for help identifying theft suspects

Sheriff’s detectives are releasing surveillance photos and video of suspects who stole a large number of expensive razor blades from Walgreens on Big Pine Key. The same suspects are believed to have stolen razor blades from a CVS Pharmacy in Key Largo earlier in the day.

Deputy Donald Stullken responded to the Walgreens on Big Pine Key the morning of April 21st. He met with the manager who confirmed there had been a theft from her store on April 18^th – the same day as the theft in the Upper Keys. Surveillance photos showed two adult males, an adult female and a male child enter the store. The female reportedly distracted the clerk in the cosmetics section of the store; the clerk said every time she tried to leave to continue working, the female would ask another question, apparently to keep her busy. In the surveillance footage, one of the adult males appears to be keeping watch on the section of the store that has the razor blades. He also engages two employees in conversation, perhaps to distract them. The other adult male and the boy go to the razor .

Employees later found the suspects had accessed the locked plastic box which holds all the razor blade packages; this container requires a magnetic key to open. They removed packages of razors and then opened the packages. They left behind the empty plastic packaging. One adult male is seen leaving the store with the boy in front of him; it appears he is walking stiffly and is using the boy to hide behind as if he placed the stolen razors in his pants.

The group stole over $1,100 worth of Gillette Fusion razor blades from the Big Pine store. Almost $500 worth of razors were taken from a CVS store at the 99 mile marker  of the highway.

The video and pictures depict the three suspects and the young boy. In the video you will see:

One male suspect walks in the store with the boy. The male suspect is wearing a light colored short sleeved t-shirt, dark pants, dark shoes with a Nike logo and no hat. You will notice he has no problem walking, does not appear to limp or have stiffness in his legs.

He is followed by the female suspect with her hair pulled back and a headband, possibly pink in color. She has on a shirt with dark colored arms, mid length, and a white colored body. She is followed by another male suspect who is wearing a yellow collared shirt, a baseball style hat, long pants and black and white colored shoes.

The male suspect with the boy disappear from video for a while. When they reappear, the male suspect is hugging the boy from the back and walking stiffly, as if he has something stuffed into his pants. They walk around a bit, join up with the female suspect where they appear to look at merchandise, eventually leaving the store.

Anyone with information about this crime should contact the Sheriff's Office at 305-745-3184 and ask for Detective Diane Mimosa. Callers who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers of the Florida Keys. If a Crimestoppers tip leads to an arrest, the caller would be eligible for a cash reward. The Crimestoppers hot line number is 1-800-346-TIPS. Tips may be made anonymously on line at www.tipsubmit.com.