HIALEAH, Fla. – A 24-year-old man is facing serious charges after being arrested in connection with a string of vehicle burglaries.
In one case, authorities said Miguel Rodriguez returned to the same house twice, unaware that a surveillance camera captured him in the act.
Police said he made off with a number of items, including a gun and more than $1,300 in cash.
Rodriguez appeared in court Friday on accusations that he broke into nearly a dozen vehicles in the past three months -- an alleged crime spree that drew the ire of a judge.
"Mr. Rodriguez, you are 24 years old. You became a one-man crime wave in Hialeah," Miami-Dade County Circuit Court Judge Gisela Cardonne Ely said. "You're lucky someone didn't have a gun when you tried to break into one of these cars. You better start putting on your thinking cap and what you are going to do with the rest of your life."
Rodriguez was on probation when police said he targeted cars across the city of Hialeah.
In one case, authorities said he went as far as to steal surveillance cameras at a house on West 10th Avenue and 43rd Street.
According to his arrest report, the homeowner spotted Rodriguez walking up the driveway and snatching two cameras valued at $300.
At another home off West 36th Avenue and 74th Place, police said Rodriguez made off with sunglasses. At yet another house, he's accused of stealing $400 in cash, a wallet and a backpack with credits cards in it.
"I haven’t seen something like this in years," Cardonne Ely said. "Good luck to you, sir."
Rodriguez was on probation for breaking into cars at the time of his arrest.
He's facing a number of charges and is being held in lieu of more than 50,000 bond.