2 Winter Haven Men Accused Of Trying To Pawn Bag Of Stolen Gold

WINTER HAVEN, FL -- Two Winter Haven men were taken into custody Tuesday after alert pawn shop workers told police that the pair was attempting to pawn a bag full of gold.

Twenty-one-year-old Frankie Rolle and 19-year-old Davon Brooks were both charged with unarmed burglary, grand theft between $10,000 to $20,000 and related offenses, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said both men have an extensive criminal history.

"We appreciate our local businesses cooperating with us to help catch these thieves," said Judd. "Both SunTrust bank and Cash America pawn fully cooperated with our investigation."

The sheriff's office said the takedown occurred at Cash America. "When deputies arrived, both suspects tried to flee, but were stopped," the sheriff's office explained. "Two large handfuls of jewelry were found in Mr. Rolle's jacket."

The agency said both men were found with stolen jewelry from a March 22 home burglary along Queens Cove Loop in Winter Haven.

"Thousands of dollars worth of jewelry was stolen from the residence," said the sheriff's office. "Video surveillance showed a red Chrysler 300 pulled up to the home and two men got out and entered the back door of the residence, which was not locked. The suspects were later observed leaving the home after stealing jewelry and other items."

Investigators linked Brooks to the burglary after learning that he allegedly attempted to cash a check for "landscaping" at a local bank. The check had been reported stolen in the burglary.

"The check belonged to the victim of the burglary and her name had been forged by the suspect," the sheriff's office said. "The investigation determined that Brooks also made a number of pawn transactions that matched the stolen property."

Judd reminded homeowners to avoid becoming easy targets.

"We remind homeowners to always lock your residence and vehicles," he urged. "Let's make it more difficult for thieves."