Key West The Newspaper

Stock Island man arrested for burglary

A Stock Island man was arrested and charged with breaking into a Sugarloaf Key residence and stealing jewelry.

Deputy Freddy Rodriguez responded to a home on Flying Fish Lane, Sugarloaf Key on February 2nd to a report of a burglary. The residents of the home left around 11 a.m. and returned home at 3 p.m. to find someone had broken in.

Approximately $6,000 worth of jewelry was taken from inside. It appears the suspect broke in through a window and left through the front door.

A witness reported seeing an unfamiliar vehicle in the area – a dark colored Chevrolet Suburban with a large sticker on the driver’s side. A neighbor had surveillance cameras which captured a thin white male wearing blue shorts and a white shirt with long black sleeves on the property about the same time as the burglary took place. The cameras also captured the Chevy Suburban with the large sticker on it in the area at the same time.

Further investigation revealed a vehicle fitting that description parked on 2nd Avenue, Stock Island. Detective David Fernandez, who was assigned to investigate, waited near the vehicle until a man came out and climbed inside. Detective Fernandez pulled the vehicle over and identified the driver as 28 year old Michael Tierney. Tierney fit the description of the man captured on camera at the scene of the burglary.

A friend who was with Tierney told Detective Fernandez Tierney had given her three rings recently; she turned the rings over to the detective. She also turned over a white shirt with black long sleeves she said belonged to Tierney. In an interview with Tierney, he admitted to breaking in to the home. He said he pawned some of the stolen jewelry at a local pawn shop.

Tierney was arrested. He was charged with burglary, grand theft and criminal mischief and he was booked into jail. The investigation into this case and into other possibly connected cases is continuing. More charges are pending.