BRANDON, Fla. — With help from the public, investigators have identified the man caught on camera stealing an SUV from a dealership last month in Brandon, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office reports.
Deputies say 22-year-old James Supple stole a 2018 Jeep Compass from the Courtesy Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Dealership located on East Adamo Drive back on Oct. 28.
The SUV is valued at about $13,000.
On Monday, the sheriff's office shared video from the dealership in hopes of identifying the car theft.
The Auto Task Force then used tips from the public to recover the stolen Jeep at the Tampa Inn on Busch Boulevard. Detectives say when they made contact with Supple, they also found two other people — 33-year-old Cornilous Merritt and 22-year-old Alicia Kern — in possession of narcotics.
Supple was arrested and is facing multiple charges, including grand theft of a motor vehicle, burglary and violation of probation.
Merritt was charged with violation of probation, driving with a suspended license and possession of multiple controlled substances with intent to sell, including meth and fentanyl.
Kern was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, meth and cannabinoids.
"I'm very grateful to our community for assisting with this auto theft case," Sheriff Chad Chronister said. "Our newly created Auto Theft Task Force, launched in July, has hit the ground running here in our region and they're already making a tremendous impact."
The investigation is ongoing.
