Third suspect arrested in AC thefts

Detectives knew about Shane Winn before they arrested him.

When his accused accomplices detailed Winn's involvement during their interviews with the Hernando County Sheriff's Office, it clinched it, said Sgt. John Cameron, a sheriff's spokesman.

Winn, 24, of 5044 Sail Boat Lane in Spring Hill, became the third suspect arrested in connection with the rash of copper and aluminum thefts across the county.

Cameron said Winn was "a key player" in the theft ring.

Evidence and investigative work put Winn on the detectives' radar weeks ago. More information provided by the other two suspects strengthened their case, according to the sheriff's office.

Winn was arrested Thursday night at his home. His bail was set at $112,000.

For six weeks beginning in late November 2011, there were about 20 cases of suspects breaking air-conditioning units and removing the valuable metal parts. They targeted churches, abandoned buildings, strip malls and other commercial facilities from Weeki Wachee to Brooksville.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars building in Spring Hill also was hit.

Winn joins Daniel Rogers and John Terry Jr. as the accused culprits in the grand thefts.

Rogers, 21, and Terry, 25, were arrested Jan. 14 after an undercover detective saw them creep out from the woods near a business along State Road 50, deputies said.

Both of them were wearing masks and gloves, according to the sheriff's office.

The suspects fled, but Terry was seen a short distance away trying to get into his car. Later that morning, Rogers was arrested near California Street, deputies said.

The sheriff's office announced days later Terry and Rogers were stealing the metals so they could pay for their drug habits.

Deputies said they also were charged recently with grand theft for similar crimes at the Jericho Road Ministries Thrift Store off Wiscon Road.

The investigation remains open, Cameron said.

Deputies said the suspects took some of their copper to Central Recycling off County Line Road in Pasco County.

There are a few recycling centers in Hernando but many more in Pasco and elsewhere across the Tampa area. Commissioners in Pasco seem headed toward signing an ordinance designed to put the clamps on the illegal copper trade.

Hernando County Commissioner Jim Adkins said his board also is moving fast to get an ordinance passed.

He will be visiting Tallahassee next week to show his support of Senate Bill 540, which would implement tighter regulations for metal recyclers.

Adkins said law enforcement, utilities companies, commercial property owners and developers all "want something done."

The local ordinance would require recyclers to keep more detailed records of every metal transaction, which would make things easier for law enforcement for future criminal investigations.

"We've got to do what we can to get this under control," Adkins said.