Man arrested, charged in series of retail thefts from Lowe’s in Kissimmee
A man has been arrested and confessed to a string of thefts of merchandise from the Lowe’s home improvement story in Kissimmee, the the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
In a Saturday news release, the agency said that on Thursday deputies arrested Edwin Ibanez, 55, and booked him into jail for grand theft (felony, two charges), petit theft (misdemeanor, four charges), dealing in stolen property (felony, six charges) and driving while license suspended.
As of Saturday evening he remained in the Osceola County Jail with a total bond of $37,250.
On Wednesday, the Sheriff’s Office received a delayed report regarding a series of retail thefts that occurred at the Lowe’s at 4420 Pleasant Hill Road, according to the news release. Loss Prevention personnel reported six separate theft incidents taking place between March 27 and April 2
Store surveillance footage captured the suspect vehicle, including the license plate, which aided detectives in identifying the him as as Ibanez, the Sheriff’s Office said. Investigators later determined Ibanez was driving with a suspended license and had an active warrant for violation of probation out of Pinellas County.
On Thursday, members of the South Property Crimes Unit conducted surveillance and observed Ibanez operating the vehicle, the agency said. With the assistance of patrol units, a traffic stop was conducted near Old Pleasant Hill Road and Cypress Parkway and Ibanez was taken into custody without incident.
After he was read his Miranda rights, Ibanez confessed to all six reported thefts and selling the stolen merchandise for profit, the news release said.
No additional information was provided by the Sheriff’s Office or available in court records.