Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Teens, ages 14 to 16, charged in break-in
Porsche, $200,000 cash and guns were taken from home
Six teens from Fort Lauderdale, ages 14 to 16, stole a Porsche and a man’s $200,000 life savings from a home in Fort Pierce, then claimed they blew the money on luxury cars, jewelry and gold teeth, police say.
The homeowner, Brett Browning, reported the burglary April 27 after coming home to find his garage door open and his 2014 Porsche Cayman, valued at $50,000 to $60,000, gone. Also missing was a .380-caliber Ruger pistol, a revolver and a safe containing more than $200,000 cash, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff ’s Office.
The teens, all in custody in other crimes, were arrested Monday after a twomonth investigation.
One of the teens told investigators the plan for the burglary started in a Pompano Beach motel, with “his boys.” They agreed to “hit a house up north near Orlando,” according to a report.
The group headed up Interstate 95 to Marina Drive, on North Hutchinson Island, in a stolen Hyundai Santa Fe SUV, knocking on a few doors to see if anyone was home. Without a response at Browning’s home, three of the teens went around to the back of the house and walked in through an unlocked door between noon and 3 p.m., one teen told an investigator.
Once inside, one youth grabbed a safe from the kitchen while another snatched
the guns from a table in the living room, the report said.
The teens left in the Porsche and SUV and met up at a Marathon service station on North Federal Highway in Fort Pierce, according to the report. There, one of the group pried open the safe to find zip-lock bags of money, the report said.
A witness told investigators he saw the group flashing large amounts of cash at Marathon. One of the teens told an investigator he saw people looking at them at the gas station and said, “We going to jail soon, might as well have fun.”
One youth claimed he bought permanent gold teeth for $11,000; a $10,000 gold chain; a $3,500 gold bracelet; an $80,000 Dodge Challenger Hellcat for his mom, which he put in her name; and a $25,000 2009 Mercedes C300 in his brother’s name.
Investigators could not find records of the Challenger but did find the recently purchased Mercedes in the name of the boy’s brother. The report did not specify where the vehicles were purchased.
Another of the group said he bought a four-wheeler and gave $40,000 to his mom, the report said. Another said that someone robbed him of his money in Fort Lauderdale and that one teen threw the two guns into a garbage can at a Fort Lauderdale mall. One other teen said he bought his mom a new Audi A4, the report said.
Investigators got a lead in the case May 3 when they found the stolen Porsche in Delray Beach. Inside were some of the items from the safe, along with paperwork belonging to one of the teens. Fort Lauderdale Police arrested him a week later in other crimes, and St. Lucie County detectives interviewed him.
Only one of the teens denied having anything to do with the burglary, but investigators said they found his fingerprints on the stolen Santa Fe, according to the report.
All of the teens were held Monday in St. Lucie County Jail on charges including burglary of a dwelling while armed, grand theft over $100,000, grand theft of a firearm and grand theft of a motor vehicle. Their bonds range from no bond to $250,000.