Two arrested in car burglaries after vehicle chase

Two Fort Lauderdale men who authorities say led deputies on a chase in Collier County were arrested Wednesday in connection with three car burglaries, officials said this morning.

The men might also be responsible for a recent string of car burglaries in the Naples area, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office said.

Deavon Morgan

The Sheriff’s Office learned at about 12:25 p.m. Wednesday of a vehicle burglary at 75 Vineyards Boulevard. A witness told deputies that a man exited a silver Chevrolet Malibu with dark tinted windows and smashed the passenger’s side rear window of a another vehicle.

The man reportedly took a DVD player from the vehicle, then returned to his Malibu and left the parking lot, authorities said. A description of the man was sent to all road patrol units.

At 1:18 p.m., a North Naples deputy found a silver Chevrolet Malibu with dark tinted windows and tried to stop the vehicle, but the driver refused to stop, authorities said. The driver continued to flee – at one point the Malibu crashed into a marked patrol car – then the deputy noticed a black purse thrown from the Malibu in the 1600 block of Pine Ridge Road.

The chase ended at the 7-11 convenience store at Pine Ridge Road and Shirley Street.

Dayle Shaffer

The black purse and an iPod found in the Malibu belonged to two victims who worked at 2087 Trade Center Way, the Sheriff’s Office said. Deputies discovered the two additional vehicle burglaries while items were returned to their owners.

In the Malibu, deputies found the DVD player that had been stolen in the earlier burglary. Authorities also found a spring-loaded center punch in a tool bag that might have been used to enter the vehicles.

Deavon Morgan, 25, of Fort Lauderdale was charged with fleeing/eluding, driving while license is suspended or revoked-habitual offender, leaving the scene of a crash with property damage, possession of marijuana, three counts of burglary of conveyance, three counts of possession of burglary tools, two counts of petit theft, and grand theft

Dayle Shaffer, 35, of Fort Lauderdale was charged with three counts of burglary of conveyance, three counts possession of burglary tools, two counts of petit theft, grand theft, and violation of state probation.

Because of similarities with other cases, the men might be responsible for several other car burglaries in the area, authorities said. Their fingerprints will be compared with any fingerprints obtained from the recent burglaries.