Police say that Lake Worth Beach resident, 37-year-old Jacqueline Currell, broke into at least four vehicles and stole high-priced handbags and multiple credit cards. She then used the booty to go on a shopping spree. She had the help of a 26-year-old man who acted as her getaway driver in at least one of the burglaries, police say.
Joshua Etienne, the getaway driver, is only facing charges related to drug possession.
The Burglaries
On May 29, a woman reported that the window of her Chrysler Pacifica had been shattered and possessions were taken from the vehicle while she and a friend were at Midtown Beach. About $800 worth of valuables were stolen from the vehicle. One of the victims got an alert that her credit card was used at a Publix.
Two days later, another man found the window of his Chevy Equinox shattered. A wallet was stolen from the vehicle and then, he too got an alert that his credit card had been used to buy shoes and clothes at various stores in West Palm Beach.
On June 1, the woman broke into a Toyota and stole a handbag. Etienne was identified as the getaway driver from this burglary.
In another case, over $3,000 in valuables were stolen from a BMW. An unidentified individual helped Currell get away.
Immediately after the final burglary, the woman whose valuables were stolen was alerted when her credit card was used to purchase $1,300 in merchandise at two West Palm Beach stores.
Three days after the final burglary, the police found Currell on the street and tailed her back to a white pickup truck. Inside, police found drugs and paraphernalia. Etienne was in a silver Lexus parked in front of the Toyota pickup truck. There, they found items stolen from previous break-ins.
Store proprietors picked Currell out of a lineup. Etienne will face charges related to drug possession. Currell, on the other hand, is facing a veritable litany of charges. These include:
- Grand theft larceny during a state of emergency
- Burglary during a state of emergency
- Four counts of unauthorized use of a credit card
- One count of organized scheme to defraud
- Four counts of criminal use of personal identification information
- One count of possession of crack cocaine
- One count of possession of drug paraphernalia
All told, that is 13 counts, 11 of which are related to burglary, fraud, and theft. Tallying out the potential sentences for these would take too much time. So, let’s just say that she is facing multiple felony accounts that are considered aggravated because Florida is currently in a public health crisis.
Talk to a West Palm Beach Criminal Defense Attorney
If you’re being charged with a serious crime, call the West Palm Beach criminal attorneys at The Skier Law Firm, P.A. to learn more about how we can help.
Resource:
palmbeachdailynews.com/news/20200701/woman-arrested-charged-with-multiple-car-burglaries-in-palm-beach