The investigation into a string of vehicle burglaries that occurred in the evening hours of January 6th ended in the arrest of a suspect within hours of the first crime’s occurrence. Dillon “Dylan” Leslie (DOB 11/3/1993) of Port Charlotte, was arrested on several counts of burglary and theft after he entered victim’s unlocked vehicles to steal their belongings.
At approximately 10:00pm, deputies responded to Lion Terrace (Port Charlotte) in reference to a burglary to an unlocked vehicle. While canvassing the neighborhood, 3 more vehicle burglaries were located on Clermont Street.
A Deputy patrolling the area observed an abandoned bicycle with a bag in a vacant lot on Blaine Avenue, next to a residence at which it appeared a truck was parked and recently ransacked. A CCSO K9 Unit responded and started a track from the recently burglarized vehicle. The track led deputies next door, where the canine alerted to an SUV parked on the side of the house. Inside the vehicle, a male was located curled up in the back seat. The male was removed and detained, and was then identified as Dylan Leslie. The owner of the SUV was contacted, and confirmed that Leslie did not have permission to be in their vehicle.
Dillon “Dylan” Leslie was taken into custody and cooperated with a post-Miranda interview. After the interview he was transported to the Charlotte County Jail and booked on the below charges:
Burglary to an Unoccupied Conveyance
Petit Theft 2nd Offense
Convicted Felon Fails to Register
Possession of Marijuana (located upon his arrest)
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (located upon his arrest)
In Charlotte County, more than half of the vehicles burglarized in 2017 were unlocked. Help us reduce vehicle burglaries by removing valuables from sight and locking your doors to prevent crimes of opportunity. These are crimes of opportunity – there is every indication that if the vehicles had been locked, the crimes would have been prevented. Please lock your vehicle doors, and also be alert to suspicious people in your neighborhood. Never hesitate to report suspicious activity to our non-emergency line by calling 941/639-0013.
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