Teens’ fishing poles stolen at North Fort Myers gas station as thief strikes in minutes

Two teens in North Fort Myers had their fishing poles stolen last month while they were inside a gas station for just a few minutes. Steve Dotson, the grandfather of one of the teens, said he was surprised by the theft. "They called me, and I was kind of really shocked that somebody would do that, you know, just going into the store for two minutes and their poles are gone," Dotson said. Dotson explained that someone pulled up in a car, walked to the front door of the gas station, saw the poles, and then turned around to grab one off each of the teens' e-bikes before leaving. "Somebody pulled up in a car, walked up to the front door of the RaceTrac. Seeing their poles, they turned around, never went inside, turned around, grabbed a pole off each one of the e-bikes that they had," Dotson said. Fishing poles and reels can cost hundreds of dollars, making them attractive targets for thieves. The teens were on their way to fish near the 41 bridge when the theft occurred. Residents expressed their disappointment over the incident. "That's terrible," said Keltin Payne, a Fort Myers resident. Sean Payne, another Fort Myers resident, shared his frustration about the situation. "Yeah. I mean, the fact that the theft around here is getting so bad the kids can't even enjoy the number one pastime down here in Florida, which is fishing. That's disgusting, terrible and I mean, it's I'm speechless. But, I mean, we have to do something about that. You gotta protect these kids," Payne said. A deputy reviewed surveillance footage from the gas station to identify the thief, but no arrests have been made. 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.