Man accused of burglary and stealing $1K worth of merch from North Fort Myers store

A man was arrested on Thursday after he was accused of burglary and grand theft at a convenience store in North Fort Myers. According to the Lee County Sheriff's Office arrest report, Alexander Allen Hefner, 49, was arrested after deputies responded to a reported burglary of a convenience store, Moe's Market, on Sept. 11. An employee of the store told the sheriff's office that when he arrived in the morning, the door lock was still engaged and the door was cracked open. The alarm then activated when the door was opened. The employee also said he was the last employee to leave the night before and locked up the building. Deputies reviewed surveillance videos from the store where a suspect was reportedly seen entering the store at 5:10 a.m. with a shirt over his head as a mask and gloves. He was also accused of taking merchandise throughout the store, the report stated. Some of the merchandise taken included vape products, cigarettes, pre-rolled hemp cigarettes and a plastic display case. No cash was taken. The sheriff's office reported that the total value of what was reportedly stolen was worth about $1,000. The report explained that deputies went into the Suncoast Estates community to further investigate on Wednesday, where a woman identified Hefner and said he was reportedly bragging about the burglary the morning after the incident. After getting a search warrant, detectives found a blue tent storage bag Hefner was accused of using in the burglary and no items were found, the report said. Another woman told deputies that she had heard "on the streets" about Hefner's reported involvement in the burglary, but she didn't know firsthand, according to the report. She said he was last seen two days prior and he had not stayed in her backyard since. She never saw any stolen items, but she said Hefner could come into her home because he had stolen from her previously. On Thursday, deputies said they found Hefner outside a home before he went back inside and reportedly hid in a closet inside the home. Hefner was arrested and he is facing charges of burglary of an unoccupied structure unarmed, larceny - grand theft from $750-$5,000 and resisting an officer without violence. 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.