2 arrested in San Marco car burglaries

Published On: Oct 26 2011 06:23:49 PM EDT

Jacksonville Sheriff's Office booking photos of Sean Charles and Christopher Browning

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -

Two men responsible for a rash of car break-ins have been arrested, according to Jacksonville police.

Police said 22-year old Sean Charles and 18-year old Christopher Browning are responsible for at least two nearby car burglaries in San Marco, one on Le Baron Avenue and the other on Cedar Street.

They said they found so much stolen property in the suspects' possession that there could be more victims.

Witness Amy Kervin said she followed the men after they broke into her neighbor's car, which helped lead to their arrest.

"It was about 3 in the morning and I was coming home, and I saw these kids with their hoodies up walking down the street, and they both had bags in their hands that looked like the necks were tied, and they were really close to my house," Kervin said. "So I was like, 'Oh my gosh, they've come out of my house.'"

The suspects quickly got in their car, police said.

"I saw their car take off really fast," Kervin said. "I heard them spin their tires, no headlights on, and I was about to get out of my car, and I thought, 'OK, there's something wrong with that.'"

Kervin said she then got in her car and followed them.

"They literally ran every stop sign through the detour, drove places they shouldn't have, so I followed them and dialed 911 and told them every street they were turning on and how fast they were going," Kervin said.

She estimates the two were going about 65 mph through the streets of San Marco.

Police said the suspects stole sunglasses, CDs, a backpack and a GPS.

"Sometimes citizens make it too easy. This is a crime of opportunity," Channel 4 crime analyst Ken Jefferson said. "You give them an opportunity to steal from you, they're going to do it and they're going to do it every time."

Jefferson said residents should always lock their car doors.

"Most of the time they will skip your car if it's secured, so you always have to remember to lock your car," he said.

He also said to make sure valuables aren't visible.

"There's no justification for stealing from someone else, but these kids aren't doing it because they need to feed a family, they're not doing it because there's some great need that they're pursuing," Kervin said. "That's the worst thing is the people they're stealing from have worked really hard, and if their circumstances have changed, they may never be able to replace what was stolen from them."


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