Charlotte County Deputies arrested two Port Charlotte teens accused of being involved in 28 car burglary cases, including 5 vehicle thefts.
Deputies say 16-year-old Chase Morgret stole his neighbor's car off Sharon Circle Monday overnight with his friend, 16-year-old Elijah Winesett.
Deputies said witnesses saw that heading into Punta Gorda around 3:30 a.m. Monday morning. According to reports, deputies found the car parked behind a home on Fairhaven Street, a few blocks away from where it had been stolen.
Maxine Frank says she woke up to a huge thump behind her home, then saw the car parked near her backyard.
"I had seen this kid coming toward me, walking toward me, and he was shaking his head," Frank said. "He said, 'I came to the walking toward you because I've lost my keys.'"
"My thought was they've had the car out all night and they've brought it here just to hide it, not realizing that they had wrecked it," Frank said.
Moments later, another neighbor Justin Derose, saw one of the kids and yelled his name.
"I said his name, and he put his head down and kind of, like, scurried off," Derose said.
Neighbors say Deputies lined up across the street Monday morning, gathering suspect descriptions. Later, deputies located the two along US 41 and Gardner Drive.
During questioning, deputies say Morgret confessed to stealing the car to "hang out" with Winesett. Deputies say Morgret confessed to entering other cars in the area and went into detail about several other vehicle burglaries dating back to June.
Reports say he also told deputies Winesett was involved in each of the burglaries as well.
"There's been other things going on for the last two years in this neighborhood. Now, hopefully, it'll be quiet again," Frank said.
Derose said the teen is an impressive athlete and has thrown football with him several times.
"They're athletes in school... I mean, you're smart kids," Derose said. "This kid is a good kid. Show me your friends and I'll show you who you are. So I hope, I hope things will get better for him because he is a good kid."
CCSO says they have connected the pair to 28 vehicle burglary cases with five involving a stolen car. Deputies say there are multiple charges in the majority of those cases that are still being tallied at this time.
According to CCSO, firearms were reported stolen from the vehicles in "at least two" cases.
"Everybody did something when they were kids that they wish they could take back. Unfortunately, when that thing happens to be a string of felonies, it can change your life’s path forever. I wish these kids had thought about their actions beforehand, but now that it’s done, they have to face the real consequences of their choices. I hope that this serves as a wakeup call for them, and for any others who would consider doing something like this,” Sheriff Bill Prummell said.
Reports say due to the extensive number of charges, to include felonies, the Morgret and Winesett are not eligible for exemption or any pre-trial diversion programs.
"I really do hope that he learns a valuable lesson here because this is like a chance. He's got a chance," Derose said.
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