BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — One man and three teenagers were arrested after they were accused of breaking into a business in downtown Brooksville and stealing 35 guns, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office said in a news conference Monday.
The alleged crime happened on Wednesday, April 26. At around 7:30 a.m., an individual called the sheriff's office and reported seeing something that "just didn't quite seem right" near Main Street and Broad Street in downtown Brooksville, Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis said.
The caller said the incident potentially involved guns and it wasn't much longer after that, that Nienhuis said deputies were able to track down three individuals a few miles from the area around 8:15 a.m.
While attempting to interview the three, the sheriff's office received a call from a local business that reported being broken into and several guns were stolen, Nienhuis said.
Based on the investigation, the sheriff's office reports that three individuals, one man and two teenagers, broke into the building early Wednesday morning at around 1:48 a.m. and were out by 1:51 a.m. According to investigators, one of the teens is a known gang member.
A third teenage boy was also arrested in connection to the case, Nienhuis said. Devonte Smith, 23, was charged with burglary of a structural or conveyance while armed. His bond is set at $50,000. The teens arrested ranged in age from 15 to 17; they were each taken to the Juvenile Justice Department.
Guns were found in different areas of Brooksville, including inside a car that had a backpack with more guns inside.
Nienhuis said "see something, say something" was a key factor in making arrests in this investigation. Sheriff's deputies were able to start recovering stolen firearms before the business even knew it had been burglarized.
The identities of the teenagers involved in the case have been withheld due to them being minors.