23 Cars Burglarized in Land O' Lakes; 1 Person in Custody

LAND O’ LAKES, FL — While one suspect is behind bars, Pasco County Sheriff’s deputies continue to search for others wanted in connection with a Sept. 16 auto burglary spree in Land O’ Lakes.

According to the agency, 23 cars were broken into early that morning, mainly in the Ballantrae area. The suspects, deputies say, pulled on vehicle door handles hoping to find them unlocked.

One person, Jeremiah Nicholas Nelson, “confessed yesterday while in custody at the Pinellas County Jail,” the sheriff’s office noted in a Sept. 23 email to media. Nelson, however, isn't the only person wanted in connection with the Sept. 16 spree, the sheriff's office said.

A surveillance video shot taken from Ballantrae on the morning of Sept. 16 shows one of the other suspects in the case, the sheriff’s office said.

“Nelson and his crew/associates may have other involvements in other auto burglary crime sprees that occurred the week of Sept. 12-16,” the email noted.

Anyone with information in the case is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tips Line at 1-800-706-2488.

Meanwhile, deputies are also trying to close the books on seven daytime auto burglaries that occurred in Land O’ Lakes on Wednesday, Sept. 21. In those cases, the suspect or suspect smashed out car windows to take items inside the vehicles. The burglaries occurred at three separate locations. To find out more, check out this story: Rash of Daytime Auto Burglaries Reported in Land O’ Lakes.

Surveillance photo of a suspect in the Sept. 16 spree courtesy of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office