A Cape Coral man has been arrested in connection with a theft of HVAC equipment from a local storage facility.
Cristian Kevin Felipe Ramos, 23, has been charged with grand theft, a third-degree felony.
According to Cape Coral Police Department officials, last Wednesday just before 1:30 p.m., officers responded to a reported theft at a storage facility on northeast Pine Island Road. CCPD officials states its investigation found that nearly $2,000 in HVAC equipment had been unlawfully removed from a company vehicle stored at the location earlier in the day.
CCPD officials state that Ramos, who is an employee of an HVAC company out of Fort Myers, was seen in surveillance footage driving a marked work van into the facility around 6:30 a.m.
“The video shows Ramos exiting the vehicle, meeting with several individuals already on scene, and unloading multiple items from the van into nearby storage units,” a CCPD release stated. “Detectives later confronted Ramos with this footage, where he acknowledged he was the driver of the work van arriving at the storage facility.”
CCPD officials stated its investigators recovered HVAC materials valued at approximately $1,985.00, including flex ducting, mastic buckets, straps, and insulated boards. Police officials state a search warrant was executed later that evening, and the stolen property was successfully recovered and identified as belonging to the employer.
“During questioning, Ramos acknowledged being at the storage facility but denied removing any equipment, contradicting video evidence obtained during the investigation,” CCPD’s release states.
Ramos was taken into custody later that evening at a business on Del Prado Boulevard North.
Ramos has since been released from Lee County Jail on a $2,500 bond.