NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — North Miami Beach police arrested an Opa-locka man early Thursday morning after they say they found him hiding inside an apartment complex mailroom with stolen packages, burglary tools and “forged” documents.
According to an arrest report, officers responded around 3 a.m. to the Aura Apartments, located at 17071 W. Dixie Highway, after receiving a report of a burglary in progress.
The report states officers entered the building’s mailroom using a law enforcement access code and found Brandon Maurice Pritchett, 40, hiding behind a wall. Police said after repeatedly ordering him to come out, Pritchett exited the mailroom.
According to the report, Pritchett told officers he did not live at the complex but said a friend who lived there had allowed him to have a pair of shoes delivered to the building.
Officers said during a pat-down search of Pritchett, they found a flathead screwdriver in his pocket.
Police said Pritchett initially identified himself as “Robert J. Jones” after being detained.
They said while searching the mailroom, they also found a black BB gun with its orange tip painted black and equipped with a laser in an apparent effort to make it resemble a real gun.
The report states the BB gun was found on top of a black bag containing nine packages that did not belong to Pritchett, a makeshift smoking device, another screwdriver, a bank card belonging to another person and a white mask.
According to the report, officers also found four bank cards belonging to other people, a fake Georgia identification card and a forged check on Pritchett.
After being advised of his Miranda rights, Pritchett told officers he had followed an unknown female resident into the building to gain access to the mailroom, according to the report.
Jail records show Pritchett is facing multiple charges, including burglary of an unoccupied dwelling while masked, possession of burglary tools, possession of a weapon while committing an offense, possession of forged or counterfeit notes, possession of drug paraphernalia, unlawful possession of four or fewer identification cards, and possession of a simulated driver’s license.
As of Friday afternoon, he was being held on a $17,500 bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
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