A 22 year old homeless Key Largo man was caught in the act of burglarizing a Key Largo business early today.
Sgt. Jason Madnick was in the area of the Dollar Tree at the 101 mile marker at 1:45 a.m. doing a business check on the property because of recent business burglaries in the area. As he checked the building, he found glass doors on the side of the building ajar. He called for backup and stood by where he could see inside. He saw someone in the store walking around. The suspect – later identified as Wayne Baer – was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and something white covering his hands. As Sgt. Madnick watched, Baer entered a locked office by climbing through a slotted aluminum vent in the door.
Backup officers arrived and they made entry to the building. Baer was taken into custody without incident. Inside the office, officers found a floor safe. It appeared Baer had obtained a saw from the store and had begun cutting through the hinges on the safe. On the floor by the safe were two white socks which may have been what Baer was wearing over his hands. A pink sticky note was stuck over the lens of a surveillance camera in the office which Baer admitted to placing there.
Baer was charged with armed burglary; he was also charged with possession of burglary tools and theft. He was booked into jail.