Jaylen Baron
•6/19/2026
Michael Ranucci, owner of Xpress Kitchen and Bath, a licensed contracting company, shared exclusive video of his encounter with Cape Coral police after trying to file charges against a former employee who allegedly stole tools. Ranucci said the employee refused to return tools from a prior construction job for several days."I was dealing with an employee who was fired. He had a bunch of our tools still in his car. He was refusing to give them to me for about four days. Finally, I told him I was going to the Cape Coral Police Department to file charges against him, and he raced over there to go drop off the tools before I could arrive. So I called the police ahead of time and told them that he was coming to drop them off. They said they can't watch in the parking lot for him," Ranucci said. In the video, Ranucci is seen asking officers what steps he needed to take to file charges.He said the situation escalated when an officer dismissed his concerns."I think the misunderstanding started with the officer deciding that she was going to play prosecutor and decide if something is criminal or civil without a statement being made, without looking at any sort of evidence. And I told her I have text messages of him sending a picture of the tools, saying that he's not giving them back unless I do this, this and this, and goes and just abandons them in this parking lot," Ranucci said. The Cape Coral Police Department issued a statement regarding the incident, saying, "We have received a complaint related to this matter and are investigating it according to policy. We value the relationship we have with our community and professionalism." Ranucci, whose business was hired to renovate the police department lobby, said he no longer wants to accept work in Cape Coral after the experience."We need to do better as a community as a whole. If police officers need to have additional training, then so be it. But the attitude and performance of our public servants is absolutely unacceptable," he said. Ranucci said a sergeant from the department later called him to explain that the officer involved had received additional training but maintained that there were no procedural missteps during the incident.DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.
