Two men from Ukraine faced charges on Monday after police officers accused them of stealing from a motel in Sunny Isles Beach.
A witness reported stopping Alexander Sokol and Andriy Chernous from stealing routers, printers, a microwave, and a coffee maker from the Blue Grass Motel.
Sokol, 36, allegedly told the witness that the owner had allowed it, and Chernous, 51, was aware that the motel was going to be demolished, according to police.
“Some of the things that were still in there could be used for his synagogue,” Chernous told the witness at the motel, but the owner disagreed, according to a police officer’s arrest report.
Police officers arrested Sokol and Chernous on Friday at the motel, at 18325 Collins Ave., and seized a silver Infinity SUV that Sokol was driving, according to police.
Corrections booked them at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, and when they appeared in Miami-Dade County bond court on Saturday, a judge ordered them to stay away from the motel, records show.
They each face a charge of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling. Soko, who has an arrest record going back to 2020 in Miami-Dade, was released on a $10,000 bond.
Chernous, who doesn’t have a record in Miami-Dade, was released outright. Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Lody Jean was set to preside over both cases.
Local 10 News Assignment Editor Carson Merlo contributed to this report.
Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.
