Man charged with stolen scooter

A Lower Keys man was arrested Saturday for stealing a scooter from a woman on 10th Avenue, Stock Island.

Deputy Vince Pacifico was on his way to talk to the victim of the scooter theft at 10:20 p.m. He had received basic information about the crime, including a description of the vehicle, a blue “Buddy” scooter.

On McDonald Avenue, Deputy Pacifico saw a scooter pass him fitting the description. He turned around to conduct a traffic stop to see if it was, indeed, the stolen vehicle.

The driver of the scooter, later identified as 21 year old Dennis Jimenez Lugonez, stopped and waited for the deputy to exit his patrol car before taking off, fleeing the area through several parking lots and finally escaping Deputy Pacifico’s pursuit. Not before Deputy Pacifico got a good look at him, however. The victim told Deputy Pacifico she also got a clear look at the suspect when he stole her scooter; she said she’d seen him numerous times around the neighborhood.

Deputy Pacifico was able to identify the suspect after talking to a number of people who know him and showing them pictures from his in-car video system. He put out a notice to be on the lookout for Lugonez and the stolen scooter. Lugonez previously lived in the area of Flagler Village with his mother, but no longer lives there and is reportedly homeless.

In the early morning hours on Saturday, Deputy Jenna Moeller recovered the stolen scooter in the vicinity of Flagler Village. She then located Lugonez at the KOTS Homeless shelter on Stock Island. He was arrested. In his backpack, Deputy Moeller located a pill bottle in someone else’s name with pills inside identified as Gabapentin. Lugonez was charged with possession of the drug without a prescription, resisting arrest and grand theft of a vehicle. He was booked into jail.

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