CAPE CORAL, Fla. —
A Cape Coral man faces multiple burglary and theft charges after police said they found a handgun reported as stolen from a pickup truck underneath the driver’s seat of the SUV he was driving.
Justin Schimpl, 21, was arrested Oct. 23 after officers responded around 12:55 a.m. to a report of a vehicle burglary at a home on Northeast 20th Court, according to a Cape Coral police arrest affidavit. A resident’s security camera showed a person dressed in black running from a neighbor’s driveway and reportedly rummaging through a Jeep’s center console. Nothing was reported missing from that vehicle.
An officer later spotted a dark SUV driving without headlights near Northeast 19th Place and Northeast 5th Terrace, the affidavit said. When the officer tried to stop it, Schimpl reportedly moved toward the area beneath the driver’s seat, ignored commands to show his hands and refused to get out. Officers pulled him through the open window, according to the report. They then found another man lying in the back seat.
Police said officers found a handgun beneath the driver’s seat. The gun matched the description of a 9 mm Smith & Wesson reported stolen from a nearby Ram pickup, the affidavit said. The owner also reported a wallet, identification, $200 in cash and a car-connect device missing. The gun was valued at $539, and the device at $493.99.
Investigators said surveillance video showed a person dressed in black entering or trying to enter several vehicles. The affidavit lists five vehicles in the investigation: a Jeep, a Chevrolet Colorado, a Ram pickup, a Ford F-150 and a Ford Mustang. Police said some vehicles had no reported property missing, and the Colorado’s locked door prevented entry.
During an initial interview, Schimpl denied involvement and said he was lost, according to the affidavit. He told officers the gun belonged to the passenger and that he had handled it earlier. After investigators showed him video, police said Schimpl acknowledged committing burglaries but said he did not know how many cars he had entered. He then asked for an attorney, and questioning stopped.
Schimpl faces charges including armed burglary of a vehicle, multiple counts of burglary of an unoccupied vehicle, attempted burglary, grand theft of a firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, petit theft and resisting an officer without violence. The affidavit says he was previously found guilty in two cases, including a grand theft of a firearm case, and was on probation.
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