Car Burglaries Lead to Arrests

Three people are arrested and charged in connection with several vehicle burglaries, after officers conducted a surveillance operation.

Gulfport police say that during the surveillance one Gulfport officer ended up being within 10 feet of the suspects while they committed a vehicle burglary.

Arrested Friday were:

• Craig Steven McComas, 29, of Gulfport
• Tiffany M. Kenton, 24, of Gulfport
• Brian A. George, 27, of Gulfport

The charges include:

• armed burglary to an unoccupied vehicle
• burglary to an unoccupied vehicle
• attempted burglary to an occupied vehicle
• resisting without violence
• principle in the first degree

According to the Gulfport Police Department's press release, several vehicle burglaries were reported and believed to have occured between June 10 and June 13.

As a result, Crime Analyst Margaret Palmisano completed an analysis based on the locations and times of the burglaries. Based on the analysis, Sgt. Tom Woodman and Lt. Josh Stone coordinated a surveillance operation with three Gulfport Police Officers.

During the operation, three people were spotted in the target area, south of 27th Ave S between Tifton Street and Beach Boulevard. They were seen by the surveillance team walking into yards and driveways, and one of the officers ended up being withing 10 feet of the suspects while they committed a vehicle burglary.

Officers attempted to arrest the suspects. Two were quickly apprehended. The third was tracked down with the assistance of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit; the police dogs found  the suspect in a shed behind a house.

After interviewing the three suspects, multiple cases were solved. Numerous pieces of stolen property were also recovered, including seven GPS units, after the suspects consented to a search of their residence, according to police.

The investigation continues, as many of the recovered stolen items have not been linked to previous reports.