The Martin County Sheriff's Office announced arrests Tuesday in a retail theft ring that targeted hardware stores across Martin, St. Lucie and Palm Beach counties. Major Ruben Romero said Johnny Batista, 19, Roberto Hernandez-Castro, 39, and Roberto Aldana-Ferrera, 31 were involved in a series of burglaries at hardware stores from December 2025 to April 2026. At least 40 stores across 13 counties were burglarized, including hardware stores in Stuart, Fort Pierce and Jupiter.
Roughly $500,000 worth of property was stolen, in addition to damage to the stores. The stolen goods were taken back to Miami-Dade County, where the suspects lived, to be sold. A fourth suspect, Maikell Fleitas, is deceased. Aldana-Ferrera is in custody in Georgia, Batista was arrested in February for a vehicle theft and is in Martin County Jail, and Hernandez-Castro has a warrant out for his arrest.
According to an affidavit from the Martin County Sheriff's Office, the crews would use a sledgehammer or other blunt object to smash the glass and often complete the thefts within minutes, before police arrived or alarms were triggered. Investigators say Batista is connected to the first known theft at Sewell Hardware in Stuart in December 2025. Romero said burglaries happened previous to December and they are still looking for one other suspect.