A Coral Gables burglary investigation that started with a ransacked kitchen and a flashlight beam on a sleeping worker ended with an unlikely discovery: the two suspects allegedly living inside a City of Coral Gables armored truck parked at a fenced municipal lot. Rebecca Veverka, 29, and Jahi Zedrick were arrested Tuesday after investigators say surveillance video linked them to a string of burglaries across Southwest Miami-Dade over roughly two months.
According to WSVN, the case began on June 18, when Veverka and Zedrick allegedly entered a residence and rummaged through a backpack in the kitchen. Weeks later, early on Aug. 4, the pair is accused of entering a business near Southwest 17th Street through a rear door, per investigators cited in the station's report. Inside, they allegedly found an employee asleep in the office and shined a cellphone light on the sleeping worker before rummaging through property inside the business, the outlet reported.
Investigators say Veverka later re-entered the business and took a laptop from the office, a piece of property arrest reports valued at $1,000. Other stolen items were valued at $280, per the same arrest reports. The station's account describes the suspects placing items into bags as they moved through the business.
Deputies Trace Suspects to a Fenced City Motor Pool
The investigation took its strangest turn on Aug. 9, when deputies searching for Zedrick found a City of Coral Gables armored truck inside a fenced motor pool facility. The vehicle appeared to have been used as a place to live, containing blankets, pillows and personal belongings, and deputies reportedly recovered an identification card belonging to Zedrick inside the truck. The armored truck also had burn marks on its rear floorboard, though the dossier does not indicate whether investigators have determined a cause.
The motor pool sits within the Automotive Division of the city's Public Works Department, which maintains fleet availability for city departments and emergency services, according to the City of Coral Gables. The facility, located at 2800 SW 72nd Avenue, serves as the primary repair and maintenance yard for the city's vehicles, per the same city documentation. Veverka and Zedrick were located at the Coral Gables motor pool and taken into custody there, WSVN reported.
Charges and Bond
Veverka faces charges of burglary of an occupied structure, burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, burglary of an unoccupied conveyance and third-degree grand theft, according to the station's report. A judge found probable cause for both Veverka and Zedrick and set their bonds at $26,500 and $23,500, respectively.
Under Florida Statutes Section 810.02, burglary of an occupied structure is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, according to the Sammis Law Firm. Burglary of an unoccupied dwelling carries the same second-degree classification and prison exposure, while burglary of an unoccupied conveyance — the charge tied to the armored truck — is only a third-degree felony carrying up to five years, per Jordan Holmes Law, P.A. Third-degree grand theft, the charge connected to the $1,000 laptop, applies to stolen property valued between $750 and $20,000 and carries up to five years in prison, according to Hussein & Webber, PL.
A Pattern of Break-Ins Across the City
Coral Gables police have leaned heavily on surveillance footage and digital forensics to crack a string of property crime cases in recent months. Hoodline previously reported on a motel arrest tied to 10 home break-ins, and on a separate case involving a suspect who entered occupied apartments and shined a phone light on sleeping residents. The department's crime analysis unit has repeatedly relied on video review to connect scattered burglary scenes into a single case, a pattern consistent with this investigation as well.
Open questions remain about how Veverka and Zedrick allegedly breached the motor pool's perimeter and how long they may have been living inside the truck before deputies found them there. It's also unclear whether the burn marks discovered on the vehicle's floorboard will lead to additional charges. Both suspects now face the prospect of multiple felony counts and the prison exposure that comes with them under Florida's burglary statutes.
