25-Year-Old Faces Burglary Charges For Vamo Break-Ins

A 25-year-old Fruitville man with an extensive history of burglary charges now faces new charges for a rash of break-ins in Vamo. 

Gene Anthony Luna Jr., of 1005 Gantt Ave., faces six vehicle burglary charges by the for the following car burglaries that happened around 1 a.m. on July 17:

• Taking a gym bag with sports equipment and an iPod from a Chrysler 300 on the 1800 block of Joyce Street

• Break-in without items stolen from a Nissan on the 1800 block of Joyce Street

• Taking a purse, driver's license, credit cards and $72 from a Dodge Neon on the 1800 block of Joyce Street

• Taking a Sony camera and $20 from a Toyota on the 1700 block of Livingston Street

• Break-in without items stolen from a Hyundai Elantra on the 8600 block of Peggy Avenue.

A witness had spotted Luna and yelled at him, prompting Luna to flee, and the witness followed Luna and flagged down a deputy to report the burglaries. The witness later picked Luna out of a photo line-up. 

Luna was charged July 26, just a day after he was interviewed by detectives about another arrest concerning another vehicle break-in on July 10 on the 1100 block of North Washington Boulevard where eight Oakley sunglasses and an additional pair were taken from a car and were later pawned for $235, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Luna faces dealing in stolen property and providing false information to a pawnbroker charges for the sunglasses case, according to the affidavit.

During that pawing investigation, detectives had found that the iPod was also pawned and Luna told the detectives that the iPod was his girlfriend's, and then said a burglar friend gave it to him and that he pawned it for a friend because he didn't have a valid ID.

Luna was also charged with another count of stealing in property and falsifying a pawn ticket for the Vamo burglaries, according to the sheriff's office.

Luna denied committing the burglaries, according to the affidavit.

Luna posted $32,500 bond and was released Thursday, according to the sheriff's office. Luna has had 23 burglary-related charges filed against in the last three years, according to the sheriff’s office.