Sheriff Al Nienhuis addressed the trend of violent crimes over the past 30 to 60 days at a press conference on Jan. 20th and then at the Board of County Commission meeting on Jan. 25th.
Sheriff Nienhuis described 8 recent events which have mostly been armed burglaries and attempted armed burglaries involving young adults or possibly juveniles most likely from outside of the county. He mentioned the possibility of some of these crimes being linked and the involvement of a large group. He did not refer to the group as a gang, but he did state that arresting one car full of suspects would probably not stop these crimes from recurring. He said that it straps their resources with criminals coming in from other counties.
He also stated that there have been many instances where a firearm left in a car was stolen overnight and the car was left unlocked. These weapons are usually then used in other crimes.
“To say I’m concerned is an understatement,” said Sheriff Nienhuis.
The first event occurred on Nov. 25th – an attempted conveyance burglary at the home of one of his law enforcement officers in the Hernando Beach area. A group of individuals pulled into the cul de sac and attempted to break into the officer’s vehicle. The Sheriff stated that when they recognized the vehicle they were attempting to burglarize as a law enforcement vehicle, they left quickly.
The second event that Sheriff Nienhuis described occurred on Dec. 28th, 2016. It was an armed conveyance burglary in the area of Corey Loop in Spring Hill. In this circumstance a firearm was stolen.
Next on Jan. 4th at 2:30 AM the Target Store on Commercial Way was burglarized, which gained much media attention. They were pursued all the way to Orlando by FHP where they exited their vehicle in an apartment complex and were not apprehended. A situation like this is frustrating to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office as they have no jurisdiction to follow up with suspects outside of Hernando County.
The fourth incident, an attempted armed burglary, occurred on Jan 6th at 2:30 AM. Three individuals were caught on surveillance video casing a local gun store. These individuals were armed and pointed a gun with a laser at the surveillance camera. They did not break into the store that night.
Sheriff Nienhuis worried that since these individuals were armed, had someone come into contact with them, there could have been loss of life.
The fifth incident occurred on the night of Jan. 11th around 11 PM. The trunk of a patrol vehicle was shot when Sheriff’s Deputies were attempting a traffic stop in South Brooksville. “By the Grace of God, the bullet was stopped by equipment in the trunk. It looks like it was on a trajectory to hit the driver, but it did not.” Two individuals were apprehended, but a third was being sought. This event is still under investigation.
The sixth event that Sheriff Nienhuis highlighted was an anonymous tip that Keith Loyd, Orlando murder suspect, was seen in the area of Ridge Manor. There was also intelligence that he did have a connection to West Central Florida. The Sheriff’s Office responded to the tip.
On Jan 18th, an armed conveyance burglary in which a detention deputy and a member of their rapid response team had his personal vehicle burglarized. Surveillance footage shows the armed suspect approach the Deputy’s SUV and shoot the vehicle’s window. He then stole the Deputy’s gun belt including his gun.
Incident number eight occurred on Jan. 20th around 4:00 AM in which a resident heard some noises outside and then went to investigate. He found an individual breaking into his vehicle. The suspect did flee when confronted but in the process fired several rounds at the citizen.
“Anyone of these would be disconcerting to me as Sheriff, but when you look at all of these in the last month or two, I can tell you unequivocally that I have some concerns,” said Sheriff Nienhuis.
The Sheriff advised citizens to strongly resist the urge to go out and confront individuals that may be committing crimes in the early morning hours. “Because it is very likely based on recent events, that the people you are confronting are armed,” warned Sheriff Nienhuis.
“It is also very likely that they have no regard for other people’s lives,” he added.
He emphasized the importance of calling the Sheriff’s Office immediately and giving them as much information as possible so that they can respond accordingly.
The Sheriff warned that for those who come to Hernando County to commit a car burglary, they are not going to dismiss it as a minor crime.
He said it’s unusual for burglars to be armed when casing a possible burglary location. Sheriff Nienhuis also stated that the group coming from outside of the county is fairly large so apprehending a car full of individuals would be unlikely to stop all further crimes.
Sheriff Nienhuis addressed these issues at the County Commission meeting on Jan. 24th and their need for additional deputies.