Man arrested near UNC in connection with Fernandina Beach home invasion

Cedrice Dezarie Brown now faces charges in North Carolina, Florida

Cedrice Dezarie Brown

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. – A man sought in a local home-invasion robbery incident that took place in December 2018 has been arrested, authorities said Wednesday.

Detectives with the Fernandina Beach Police Department traveled to North Carolina for the arrest of Cedrice Dezarie Brown, 24, who had been considered a wanted fugitive, police said in a news release.

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Brown was found hiding in an off-campus apartment near the University of North Carolina, officers said.

The Fernandina Beach robbery took place Dec. 22 on Manatee Avenue.

When Brown was taken into custody, he was in possession of two stolen firearms, police said. He was booked on a variety of charges. Brown will be extradited to Florida as soon as his other counts have been addressed.

The Fernandina Beach arrest warrant charged Brown with armed robbery and armed burglary, carrying a bond of just more than $500,000.

As police investigated over the course of several months, they learned the robbery had been planned based on a suspect having personal knowledge of items kept in the home that was targeted.

Brown is one of multiple suspects in the crime, although police didn’t list a number of how many people are suspected of being involved.

About 15 people lived in the home on Manatee Avenue at the time of the robbery, officers said.

The victims reported that several assailants who wore masks to cover their faces entered the third floor of the home while carrying weapons.

The robbers demanded that the victims get on the floor and turn over their personal property. Two victims were struck in the head by guns, police said.

One of the suspects was caught by two of the residents as that person tried to run off, according to officers. That suspect was arrested right after the crime.

Three of the suspects have been charged. Police are working to make more arrests. Some of the people involved are believed to be from outside the Nassau County area, investigators said.