A Winter Haven teen has been arrested following an alleged robbery during a Facebook Marketplace transaction. The suspect, Dwaine Anthony Sharpe, Jr., 17, has been charged with armed robbery and dealing in stolen property after a violent encounter that took place on May 6, at approximately 7:25 p.m., in Wesley Chapel near Gotthard Pass Drive, TampaFP reported.
According to the WFLA, during the meet-up to sell an AUTEL key fob programming device, Sharpe snatched the item from the victim, a locksmith, while the seller was distracted by turning his back to call his girlfriend for her CashApp details. The teen then attempted to escape, fleeing through neighborhood yards and, at one point, crashing through a plastic fence gate and striking the victim who was in pursuit. The victim, unable to keep up with Sharpe's pace, lost track of the suspect as he continued to make his escape.
The mishap led to an unexpected discovery the following day when the homeowner where the fence was damaged found a magazine for a firearm in their yard, prompting another call to authorities. On May 9, this same homeowner discovered a Ruger 9mm pistol, reported stolen on April 9, behind the damaged gate, WTSP noted.
Investigators were able to obtain video footage, which allegedly showed Sharpe walking to Seedorf Drive from the Gotthard Pass area on the date of the robbery. Sharpe's parents were able to identify him in the video, and his mother recounted to investigators that her son had called her for a pickup, noticing that "something was wrong, but he wouldn't say what it was," as she told the police in a statement obtained by WTSP. It was discovered that after Sharpe's mother picked him up, he exited the vehicle just after officers first passed the location in response to the robbery.
When questioned by detectives, Sharpe admitted to taking the programming device and claimed to have sold it to someone in Winter Garden. On May 14, he was taken into custody and faces charges for robbery with a firearm, dealing in stolen property, and violating probation from another county related to three separate cases in 2023, according to TampaFP.
