A teenage car thief was identified from fingerprints and arrested in Central Florida.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, fingerprints collected from two stolen vehicles and the subsequent analysis by a latent print examiner resulted in the positive identification and arrest of a 14-year-old suspect who is on probation, for two counts of grand theft of a motor vehicle and other charges.
A Lakeland resident contacted PCSO and reported the theft of her 2020 Kia Forte. Two hours later, another Lakeland resident reported the theft of his Toyota Tacoma. The Toyota owner located his stolen truck via a mobile app on his phone, and showed deputies the location, parked in a field off of Parker Street West. When deputies responded to that location, they found both stolen vehicles parked where they could not be seen from the road.
The PCSO Forensics Investigations Unit responded and processed both vehicles, recovering fingerprints from each and from items found inside. After being processed, the vehicles were returned to their rightful owners and the investigation continued…