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3 Suspects Held In Car Burglaries

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By LISA A. DAVIS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 11, 2007

WESLEY CHAPEL - Pasco County sheriff's deputies say three men could be responsible for as many as 150 auto burglaries from April through August in this growing central county community.

Part of the trio, John Wayne Worrell Jr., has been in jail since August on related charges, while deputies have been looking for two brothers who, authorities say, are co-conspirators.

Acting on a tip from Pasco investigators, Hillsborough County deputies arrested brothers Michael Daryl Edwards and Adam Christopher Edwards, both of 10050 Joe Ebert Road, Seffner, last week. The men were nabbed when they went to pick up their paychecks from a travel company on Florida Avenue in Tampa. They were booked into Orient Road Jail on the warrants and transferred Tuesday to Pasco to face the charges there.

Michael Edwards, 19, is being held on 10 counts of auto burglary, five counts of grand theft and one count each of burglary and armed burglary. His bail is set at $115,000.

Adam Edwards, 21, is being held on five counts of auto burglary, four counts of grand theft and one count of burglary. His bail is set at $55,000.

The brothers spent much of Tuesday evening driving around Wesley Chapel subdivisions with detectives, trying to point out where they broke into cars, Pasco County Sheriff's Office spokesman Doug Tobin said.

'Every couple of weeks they would come up and target these subdivisions,' he said. 'It was to fuel a drug habit.'
Michael Edwards dropped his wallet at the scene of one burglary, a witness affidavit states. He and his brother later were seen using a stolen $100 bill at a gas station, authorities said. Their images were captured by surveillance video, an affidavit states. Gas station employees saw the two men enter a restroom and toss several pieces of stolen identification and credit cards.

In most cases, owners had left vehicles unlocked, making them easy targets, Tobin said. A deputy's marked cruiser in Lexington Oaks was among those burglarized in August. Palm Cove also was hit.

Cash, mostly loose change, and electronics were taken from several vehicles. Much of the property was traded for drugs, the brothers told detectives, according to reports. 'It seems like a lot of work for not a big reward,' Tobin said.

Worrell, 27, of 37537 Waverly Ave., Zephyrhills, is being held on charges of burglary, armed burglary and grand theft. His bail is set at $180,000.

The charges against him include accusations he broke into a Tampa police detective's unmarked cruiser, removing $1,780 worth of property, including a 9 mm handgun and ammunition, a Taser, handcuffs and a baton.

'The gun is gone,' Worrell reportedly told detectives.

All three men were seen on video using a stolen credit card to make purchases at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Zephyrhills, authorities said.

Reporter Lisa A. Davis can be reached at (727) 815-1083 or ldavis@tampatrib.com.

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