Three men are facing charges in a series of sneaker heists at malls in Florida and Georgia involving tens of thousands of dollars worth of shoes, authorities said.
Herbert Davis III, Michael McCray, and Tyrone Howard are facing multiple charges following an investigation by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office and Florida’s Office of Statewide Prosecution, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said Thursday.
Authorities said the group is responsible for multiple burglaries including one on Oct. 21 at the Treasure Coast Mall in Jensen Beach, another on Nov. 7 at a mall in Georgia, and the Nov. 17 burglary at the Volusia Mall in Daytona Beach.
In the Jensen Beach crime, the thieves cut their way through the concrete roof and once they got through, they dropped into the Champs Sports store and stole hundreds of pairs of Nike shoes, authorities said.
The suspects stole over $70,000 worth of sneakers during the crime spree, authorities said.
After one of the crimes, two of the suspects tried to burglarize another store in Daytona Beach but were stopped by police, officials said.
The suspects face charges that include burglary, grand theft and possession of burglary tools.
If convicted they each face a maximum of life in prison.
“Florida law enforcement and our statewide prosecutors are taking the fight against retail theft to the next level,” Uthmeier said in a statement. “We will leverage all necessary tools to keep prices low for Floridians and create an environment that allows businesses to thrive.”