CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WINK)—The Cape Coral Police Department arrested a man accused of a hit-and-run crash that occurred on East Gator Circle.
Police arrested Juan David Robelto, 28, after initially responding to a past-occurred robbery at a McDonalds on Del Prado Boulevard on Thursday. Robelto told police that he was attacked and robbed the evening prior while driving home from work.
He elaborated that an unknown man assaulted him and stole his vehicle, a 2012 Ford F-150, after blocking the roadway near Averill Boulevard.
According to the police department, Robelto’s statement contained several inconsistencies with the physical evidence uncovered by investigators.
Further investigation found that his vehicle matched one involved in a hit-and-run crash in the same area earlier that morning on East Gator Circle.
WINK News spoke with neighbors along East Gator Circle who recounted the aftermath of the crash. The hit-and-run crash nearly came close to hitting Ludy Lane’s home.
Lane told WINK News that she was awoken by a loud bang shortly after midnight and, after walking outside to assess the situation, was met with her fellow neighbors standing in her yard in disbelief of what had occurred.
“Inches from my home, if my husband were touching this wall or breaking the wall, it could be much worse,” Lane said.
Lane’s neighbor, Nate Dorch, added that he sees drivers going twice as fast in their neighborhood.
“People come through here 60, 70 miles an hour, sometimes you can hear the wind coming off the car,” Dorch said.
The vehicle showed collision damage, fresh white paint, and a seatbelt that was locked, consistent with a recent crash.
Adding to the discrepancies, police reported that Robelto waited approximately 14 hours before reporting the alleged robbery, citing issues with his phone, despite evidence showing his phone was left inside the crashed vehicle.
Upon being sworn in and giving a written statement, police said Robelto admitted that his story was untrue after being confronted with the conflicting evidence. He was then placed under arrest and charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage.
He remains in Lee County Jail.
Credit: Lee County Sheriff’s Office
Nicholas Karsen is a Digital Specialist and has been with WINK News since May 2023.