The Indian River County Sheriff's Office arrested a 44-year-old man on Sept. 6 after using Flock camera data, doorbell fingerprints, and surveillance footage to track him from a Vero Beach burglary to his apartment complex.
Guy Keith Tibbetts II faces charges of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and grand theft between $750 and $5,000 after the alleged burglary at a home on Reef Road in Vero Beach. Deputies were called when the homeowner, who was out of town, saw an unknown man inside his home via surveillance cameras. Footage showed a man wearing an orange long-sleeve shirt, gray shorts, and a blue-and-white cap and gloves arriving at the house shortly after 8:30 a.m., according to the affidavit.
Additional footage allegedly showed Tibbetts inside the home with a flashlight and a tote bag, opening drawers, taking a clear acrylic jewelry case, and leaving through the rear sliding door. The stolen items were valued at around $1,010.
Deputies collected latent prints from the doorbell and rear sliding door. Investigators used the homeowner's description of a small black SUV to search Flock camera data, the affidavit said. The cameras tracked a black Chevrolet Trailblazer rental vehicle near Reef Road shortly before and after the alleged burglary, then farther west through Indian River County. Deputies tracked the SUV to Tibbetts' apartment complex.
After being read his rights, Tibbetts allegedly admitted he was the man shown on video and was the only person with access to the rental vehicle. He initially denied entering the home, then admitted he went inside without permission, according to the affidavit. Deputies said a note on his phone, created at 8:45 a.m., listed an address on Reef Road.
Tibbetts had also been arrested in August for an alleged Home Depot fraud, and his booking photo matched the suspect in this case, helping deputies identify him. Tibbetts eventually admitted he was the man shown in the surveillance footage.