DAVENPORT, Fla. – A month-long investigation into a rash of vehicle burglaries across Central Florida reached a conclusion this week when deputies caught up with a 23-year-old suspect hiding out in a Davenport residence.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office took Jeffrey Elijah Gilbert into custody on Tuesday, February 17, following a standoff on Captiva Drive. While Gilbert initially refused to come outside, he eventually surrendered to deputies without further escalation.
The case began last month in the Four Corners area after a wallet was snatched from a parked car. It wasn’t an isolated incident; local authorities had been tracking a series of similar thefts where wallets, purses, and a handgun were lifted from vehicles left unlocked. In the days following the thefts, the stolen credit cards were flagged during a trail of fraudulent transactions at several retail stores…