An alert deputy on routine patrol caught a Hialeah man who had just removed the running boards from a truck on Knight’s Key in Marathon.
Deputy Tyler Blanton was on routine patrol at 4 a.m. Sunday when he spotted a sport utility vehicle parked on the side of Knight’s Key Boulevard, on the grass. When he shined his flashlight inside, he saw a woman sleeping in the passenger seat. When she woke up, she said her boyfriend had left the vehicle to go to the bathroom. She could not say how long he had been gone.
While checking the area nearby, Deputy Blanton spotted a man walking down Kyle Way. He had two large objects over his shoulder that turned out to be the running boards he had just removed from a truck. When the man – later identified as Michel Arnero of Hialeah – saw the deputy following him, he dropped the running boards and fled.
More deputies responded to the scene. Arnero continued running and hiding from deputies until they finally cornered him near Knights Key Boulevard. He was arrested. He admitted to stealing the running boards. He said he used a headlamp and a wrench to do so. He was charged with burglary of a vehicle, possession of burglary tools, grand theft and resisting arrest. He was booked into jail.