Volusia sheriff slams Orange deputies’ handling of burglary
Orange County deputies followed a stolen car driven by a group of teenagers to a Volusia County gun shop Saturday morning, then watched as the teens cut electricity to the business, broke a window with a brick and drove away with nearly $15,000 worth of stolen firearms.
But they did not try to stop the teens until they were back in Orange County, even telling Volusia County deputies to keep their distance, Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood said Tuesday — a decision he said could have put lives in danger.
“We should have been a part of the team,” Chitwood said. “This is our county. [For OCSO] to watch a crime occur, and tell us to stay out of it — that’s how people get killed.”
In a statement released later
in the day, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings called Chitwood “a great community partner and fellow law enforcement executive who is passionate about keeping his citizens safe, just as I am.”
“Ultimately, in this case my deputies made the right decisions which resulted in the safe apprehension of a group of serial burglars,” Demings added.
The incident began Friday night, when Orange County deputies started surveillance on a car that they believed was involved in several burglaries.
About 1 a.m. Saturday morning, they watched five teenagers get into the vehicle somewhere in Orange County, a spokeswoman for Demings said. For the next two hours, deputies in unmarked cars trailed the group until they eventually stopped outside of SWUB Tactical gun store in DeBary.
In a phone call to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office communication center, an Orange County dispatcher can be heard relaying a message from Orange County deputies, asking Volusia authorities not to interfere.
“They’re asking if your units can stand out of the area,” the dispatcher said. Volusia County deputies complied with the request.
While Orange County deputies were watching, the teens, ages 15 to 19, cut power to the business before shattering a window, according to an arrest affidavit. Eighteen firearms — including handguns, rifles and a shotgun — were reported stolen.
The suspects drove more than 30 miles before they were stopped by Orange County deputies near Mercy Drive and WD Judge Drive in Orange, according to a Volusia County sheriff’s report. Three suspects fled the car on foot while the other two remained at the scene.
All five were eventually arrested and are facing several felony charges.
Four are juveniles; the Orlando Sentinel generally does not name juveniles who are accused of crimes. The 19-year-old suspect is Jaquez Tuijay Smith.
Authorities found 15 stolen guns in the car and another gun on one of the teens. Another of the stolen guns was recovered outside of the shop. One remains unaccounted for, authorities said.
On Tuesday, Chitwood said the sting could have had a far worse outcome.
“What happens if they get away from that surveillance? There are 18 stolen firearms that are out in the street,” Chitwood said. “I think there was a lack of information shared with us from the start.”
When asked why deputies didn’t stop the group before the firearms were stolen, an Orange County Sheriff’s spokeswoman initially gave a three-word response: “For safety reasons.”
The agency later followed up with Demings’ statement, which said the suspects were “apprehended in a location that would least expose anyone to danger.”
The agency didn’t immediately respond to a follow-up question asking why deputies told Volusia County authorities to stay away from the scene.
Chitwood said the next time Volusia County deputies get a call about a stolen car being followed by Orange County authorities, they’ll respond — with or without the permission of the neighboring agency.
“The future order is out: the next time they get on the air and say ‘we’re behind a stolen car in Volusia County’ … we’re going to act on that stolen car,” Chitwood said. “Because this is Volusia County. We don’t work for the Orange County Sheriff ’s Office.”