Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons announced that three individuals were arrested in Florida for allegedly exploiting the conditions following Hurricane Isaias to commit theft and burglary. The arrests included two suspects who allegedly stole a vehicle by deceiving a woman into letting them into her car, and a third man who allegedly attempted to break into a store while power was out.
Simmons detailed the vehicle theft in a video posted to Facebook, identifying the suspects as Dustin Kelley, 30, and Amanda Carr, 29. According to the sheriff, Kelley and Carr approached a woman claiming they were in the area performing work related to the hurricane's aftermath. They told the woman their phone battery had died and requested help charging it. Simmons stated that Carr appeared to be crying due to the lack of a charger, which prompted the woman to allow them inside her vehicle to plug in the device.
After the woman exited the car, Kelley and Carr allegedly drove off with the vehicle. A nearby deputy spotted the car and pursued it until it crashed, an incident that left no one seriously injured. Simmons described the pair as "angels" who pretended to need assistance but ultimately stole the car, noting that they had not realized the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office was actively searching for such offenders. Kelley was charged with larceny, fleeing or eluding police, and possession of marijuana. Carr was charged with larceny.
In a separate incident, Simmons said another man allegedly attempted to break into a 24-hour store by smashing a window during a power outage. A sheriff’s office public information officer identified the suspect to Fox News Digital as Van Gary Spikes Jr. A deputy witnessed the incident and stopped it. Simmons stated that when deputies arrived, Spikes Jr. began running but did not get far before being apprehended.
Spikes Jr. faces charges for having burglary tools, wearing a mask while committing a second-degree felony, attempting to break into an unoccupied building during a state of emergency, loitering, causing over $200 in property damage, and obstructing law enforcement without violence. Fox News Digital reached out to Spikes Jr., Kelley, and Carr for comment.