© Gardiner AndersonCrime scene tape
A Florida man who was caught burglarizing a home rushed out of the scene with the victim's truck, sword, laptop and other items - but left behind his own cellphone, authorities said.
The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Daemeion Grady, was arrested last week following a three-week investigation into the April 20 incident in St. Petersburg. Grady's cellphone was the key piece of evidence in the probe as it was full of photos and videos of the suspect, according to an arrest report obtained by the Tampa Bay Times.
The homeowner called police moments after the burglary that morning and said he'd caught the intruder in his kitchen as he was getting ready to work from home, the Times reported Sunday. The burglar allegedly had "the victim's replica Samurai sword in one hand and the victim's vehicle keys in the other hand."
Grady told the victim to bring a bunch of his belongings to the resident's truck outside and then drove away in the stolen vehicle, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said in the report. Cops arrived at the scene to investigate and found the accused burglar's cellphone, which led them to seek a search warrant to look into the device and determine the crook's identity.
A court approved the warrant and deputies identified the suspect as Grady, a St. Petersburg resident with a lengthy criminal history. Deputies said they also recovered the victim's sword with Grady's fingerprints on it.
He was arrested Tuesday and charged with armed burglary, carjacking, resisting arrest and possession of controlled substances, methamphetamine and crack cocaine with intent to sell, jail records show. Grady remained behind bars Monday pending a court hearing, according to the sheriff's office.