Lee County armed robbery suspects accused of wrapping stolen phones in tin foil

LEE COUNTY, Fla. —

After reportedly robbing someone at gunpoint outside a Circle K early Saturday morning, three people later are accused of trying to hide stolen cellphones by wrapping them in tin foil, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

The victim was waiting for a ride between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. on Feb. 21 at the convenience store on US-41 when a black Ford F-250 pulled into the adjacent Aldi parking lot.

According to an arrest report, Stephen Lee Otto exited the truck, and is accused of aiming a black semi-automatic pistol at the victim and demanding their belongings.

A second suspect, Abygail Martin, is accused of forcing the victim to their knees and ripping a backpack off their shoulder, breaking the victim's silver necklace in the process, while a third suspect, Samantha Rounds, reportedly stood by laughing.

The trio is accused of fleeing north on US-41 in the truck, which deputies noted had a loud, sawed-off-style exhaust.

The victim immediately used another device to track their stolen iPhone. After confirming the device was pinging from an apartment on Park Meadows Drive, they alerted authorities.

Detectives investigating the scene at the Circle K found indentations in the dirt where the victim was forced to kneel, as well as the victim's broken white and silver chain. Deputies also obtained surveillance footage corroborating the robbery.

When investigators executed a search of the Park Meadows Drive apartment, they found the victim's stolen iPhone and Motorola smartphone reportedly hidden inside Rounds' room.

Deputies noted both devices were entirely covered in tin foil — a tactic commonly used in an attempt to block GPS tracking signals like the "Find My iPhone" app. A distinctive "Smurfs" PopSocket, which the victim noted was attached to their phone, was found discarded in a nearby trash can.

A search of Otto's vehicle did not turn up the firearm connected to the robbery.

Otto was arrested and taken to the Lee County Jail, where he faces a felony charge of robbery with a firearm. The arrest report did not immediately specify formal charges for Martin or Rounds.

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