MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Officers with the Miami Beach Police Department arrested two men Thursday in connection with a burglary and mail theft that they said occurred at a Miami Beach condominium complex last month.
Police said Yoel Ojeda, 47, of Hialeah, was taken into custody after being identified through surveillance video and phone records.
They said his co-defendant, Dairel Juame Garcia, 44, admitted to assisting in the crime, saying he was “promised money for his involvement.”
The crime occurred on Jan. 13 at the Bay Point East Condominiums near the 1600 block of Bay Road.
The president of that condominium board reported that a man “was observed pacing outside of the Bay Point East Condominiums while talking on the phone” before entering the lobby.
Police said surveillance video showed a second suspect “forcefully ripped open” the mailboxes and taking mail from all 32 slots, causing about $300 in damage.
Investigators later linked Juame Garcia to a silver Hyundai Sonata seen near the complex that night. Juame Garcia “spontaneously confessed to being involved in the burglary” and identified Ojeda as the second suspect, according to an arrest report.
The report stated that Ojeda was located at a Miami home on Thursday after a search warrant and homeowner consent allowed officers to enter. Detectives said they found him hiding in a closet.
Police said Ojeda initially denied involvement but was identified by his clothing and a forearm tattoo matching the surveillance video. They confirmed that he has a history of cutting off his house arrest monitor and told police he would “flee to Mexico” if released.
They said Ojeda is wanted for four active warrants for burglaries in Miami-Dade County, a Broward County fraud-related warrant, and a Miami-Dade warrant for escaping house arrest.
Jail records show he is facing a slew of charges that include burglary of an occupied structure, unlawful use of a communications device, petit theft and criminal mischief.
As of Friday afternoon, Ojeda remained in custody on a $11,500 bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Juame Garcia was not listed as an inmate on the Miami-Dade Corrections’ website.
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