Two of three suspects were arrested after detectives solved a rash of burglaries that were committed on Aug. 8 in the area of Woodland Estates in Crystal River.
Citrus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) detectives have already identified and arrested two out of the three culprits.
“This case is not fully closed, but I am extremely proud of our deputies, detectives, and intelligence analyst for the work they have done so far. Despite the diligent efforts of our case detectives, the third suspect has not yet been identified. If anyone has information regarding these crimes, or believes to know the identity of the third suspect, please call our office at 352-726-1121,” said Sheriff Mike Prendergast. ”
County residents may also call Citrus County Crime Stoppers at 1-888-ANY-TIPS to remain anonymous or CCSO mobile app users can submit this information by clicking on our Submit a Tip’ feature.”
During the early morning hours of Aug. 8, residents of Woodland Estates woke up to enjoy their Saturday only to find out they were victims of crime. CCSO’s West Side Community Crimes detectives were notified and immediately started investigating, initially discovering an all-too-often heard modus operandi — unlocked doors.
The criminals in these related cases were able to effortlessly steal vehicles, golf carts, side-by-sides, guns, phones, money, and other miscellaneous items due to unlocked doors.
During the next couple of weeks, CCSO detectives worked alongside residents of the Woodland Estates neighborhood, area businesses and multiple witnesses gathering information on all of these cases. Thankfully, residents in the Woodland Estates neighborhood and nearby businesses utilized a great crime prevention tool — surveillance cameras. Detectives were able to collect video evidence, allowing for the recreation of a timeline and pattern of travel for these suspects.
Every element of the Sheriff’s Office assisted in this investigation; Detectives, Patrol Deputies, K9 Teams, Evidence Technicians, Aviation and Intelligence Analysts all coordinated their efforts to curtail future events while simultaneously solving these crimes. Two of the three suspects were identified, and detectives had enough evidence to obtain arrest warrants.
On Aug. 24, 19-year-old Caleb Kaiser., and on Aug. 26, 18-year-old Alex Muniz Rodriquez were arrested for their alleged involvement in this crime spree. Both Kaiser and Rodriquez were with a variety of crimes, to include grand theft of a firearm, grand theft of a motor vehicle, residential burglary, armed burglary, conveyance burglary and petit theft.
Detectives are continuing to investigate other crimes committed by these criminals, and future charges are pending.