Among other things, insulin pens valued at $150,000 are purportedly taken by two Palm Springs robbers from a West Palm Beach drugstore.
According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO), on September 6, they were called to a break-in at a storage unit near the pharmacy on Forest Hill Boulevard.
A list of stolen goods, provided by the pharmacy owner, including many boxes of “Ever Choice Comfort EZ” insulin pens, which were estimated to be worth $150,000.
Apart from the syringes, there were other items reported taken, including a $500 smart TV, a $6,000 generator, a $140 Ninja pressure cooker, a $120 micro oven, and a $130 Ninja blender.
The things taken from the owner’s storage container were valued at $157,000 in total. A witness and security footage, according to the probable cause affidavit, showed that the burglary took place over the course of two days on September 5 and 6, involving two to four people who took advantage of a silver Jeep Patriot.
The Jeep was identified by the cops from an unrelated theft. More than once, the vehicle was observed driving back to the same address, which is less than a mile from the pharmacy at 1544 Prairie Road in West Palm Beach.
Following a closer look at the security tape, detectives recognized two individuals from the footage: Cleveland Cooley Jr., 52, and a lady.
On Monday, the PBSO said that they had seen another suspect, 35-year-old Nicholas Sementino, while conducting surveillance across the street from the pharmacy. Sementino insisted he was not involved in the burglary when a deputy approached him and showed him the video.
Officials disclosed that Cooley had put the stolen generator up for sale on Facebook Marketplace that same day. The listing address, according to deputies, was 1544 Prairie Road. Due to similarities in the photos, they were able to identify this house from a previous unconnected incident and verified that it belonged to Cooley.
A joint operation plan was carried out on Monday by the District Detective Bureau, the South Florida Task Force, and the District 1 Street Crimes Unit.
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According to the allegation, they placed a bait car next to Cooley’s Jeep Patriot, with a $300 pocketbook and a $500 iPhone inside. Deputies recognized a female suspect from security footage as they were looking at the bait vehicle.
The woman gave information to deputies regarding a prior car break-in at 2500 Forest Hill Boulevard in West Palm Beach on September 3. The woman claimed that Cooley had taken three Van Cleef & Arpels necklaces, one credit card, one debit card, two iPhones, Adderall, Prozac, a pocketbook, and a passport together with its card. He had also taken $3,000 in cash.
As the woman saw the pharmacy burglary footage, deputies introduced her to three suspects: Cooley, Sementino, and Xavier Smith. She identified herself during the program.
The woman reportedly informed deputies that Cooley’s residence was returned to with the stolen pharmacy products still inside.
Throughout the operation, Cooley was observed by the deputies to enter the bait car, take out his purse, and take his iPhone. Shortly after, he was taken into custody.
According to the complaint, Cooley was found guilty of stealing eight times before. Sementino and Cooley were charged of three charges of burglary to an uninhabited structure and one count of grand theft. Smith is still being sought after by deputies.
