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5 Men Arrested In String Of Polk Burglaries

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TBO.com staff

Published: May 30, 2008

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Darrell Hearns

Freddie Gold

Marvin Briggs

James Hudson

Patrick West

Five men thought to be responsible for a string of burglaries at Polk County retail stores were arrested Wednesday after a break-in at a Target store.

The five face charges in four burglaries that happened between May 8 and May 22. Investigators think they may also be connected to seven more similar burglaries, according to a news release from the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

Those arrested are Darrel Hearns, 23, of 555 E. Orange Ave., Lake Alfred; Freddie Gold, 23, of 117 Harbour Drive, Winter Haven; Marvin Briggs, 29, of 715 E. Midway Ave., Lake Alfred; James Hudson, 24, of 835 Experiment Station Road, Polk City; and Patrick West, 21, of 522 E. Tangerine Avenue, Lake Alfred.

Deputies think the five men crashed a white minivan into the entrance of a Target store in Davenport at about 3:15 a.m. Wednesday.

Responding to an alarm call from the store, Deputy Ray Brown spotted the van in the parking lot and tried to get the driver to pull over, according to the news release. The van then led Brown on a brief chase, during which the occupants threw rocks at Brown's car.

The van stopped on Old Haines City-Lake Alfred Road, and five people got out. Brown arrested Hearns and Gold at the scene, according to the news release. The others ran away but were arrested later Wednesday.

The van used in the attempted burglary at Target was stolen from Winter Haven just two hours before the chase, according to the news release. The other recent burglaries have also involved stolen cars being driven through store doors and windows after hours.

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