TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A Tallahassee man has been arrested after breaking into a local Chevrolet dealership and stealing a customer's car.
Lewis Howard III, 18, was arrested by the Leon County Sheriff's Office on Saturday.
On June 10, the Tallahassee Police Department responded to Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet Dealership on Capital Circle NE in response to a burglary the day before.
When officers arrived on scene, they made contact with two employees from the dealership.
While talking with officers, one employee said he arrived at work in the early morning hours and found the glass of the service entrance door lying on the floor.
He said he looked around the area and saw a brake rotor lying outside the service entrance door.
Officers looked at the surveillance video and saw Howard and another suspect approach the back of the business at about 8:06 p.m. on June 9.
The surveillance video also showed Howard and the other suspect leaving the area, returning shortly with a pole and brake rotor.
They then forced their way into the dealership, stealing two sets of keys to customers' cars, which were on site for work repairs.
Officers learned one of the cars had the On-Star system and determined the car was in the parking lot at Sienna Square Apartments after contacting On-Star.
When officers arrived at the the Sienna Square Apartments' parking lot, they found both cars.
A couple days later, officers learned Howard was arrested for unrelated charges.
He was then transported to TPD to be interviewed.
While talking with officers, Howard said he was at Sienna Square Apartments in the pool on June 9 when the other suspect asked him if he (Howard) wanted to take his mom's new car for a drive.
Howard told officers, him and "others" drove the car around, until they saw a Florida State University Police car.
He said they then parked the car in a nearby parking lot and ran, except for the other suspect, who ran back to the car and drove off.
When asked by officers why they would leave the car when they saw law enforcement, Howard stated he thought the car was stolen.
According to the police report, officers showed him a photograph from the surveillance video and asked if he wanted to change his story because they knew he was one of the suspects in the video.
Howard told officers something to the effect of it was him in the picture.
He changed his story stating him and the other suspect had walked from Sienna Square Apartments to Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet Dealership to try to steal some cars.
Howard added that the entire plan was the other suspect's idea.
He let officers know he got into a truck that was parked against the building and was looking for the keys, but the inside of the truck was dirty, so he didn't want to steal it.
The police report states Howard's story matched the surveillance video, with him saying they broke into the dealership, stole two sets of keys, and drove off in the customers' cars.
Based on the evidence, Howard is being charged with two counts of burglary of structure conveyance unarmed without people inside, grand theft of motor vehicle, and damage to property over $200 but under $1,000.
Probable cause against the other suspect was denied based on Howard's testimony.
