Man arrested for stealing golf cart

A 26-year-old Key Largo man was arrested Tuesday following an investigation into the July 2019 theft of a GEM® golf cart from a house on the 100 block of Ocean Shores Drive in Key Largo.

Sean Edward Richardson was charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle and burglary.

The case began on July 30, 2109 when the customized golf cart was reported stolen from a private residence. The golf cart was found the next day on a wooded trail off Gun Club Road. Deputy Edward Swogger responded to the scene and saw a white pickup truck backed into a wooded area near where the golf cart was found. The truck left at a high rate of speed. Deputy Swogger found the truck at a restaurant in Key Largo. Richardson was a passenger. Richardson was not arrested at that time.

Detective Ben Elmore was assigned to investigate. Security camera footage of the golf cart theft was obtained from a nearby business. Richardson was arrested in Monroe County in October for a warrant out of Miami-Dade County. Detective Elmore interviewed Richardson multiple times in jail.

Eventually, Richardson admitted taking the golf cart with the intention of selling it on the mainland for drug money. Richardson said he parked the golf cart in the woods and retrieved the driver of the pickup truck to see if the golf cart would fit in the bed of the pickup truck.

Warrants were filed and Richardson was charged on Tuesday in the case.

Other golf carts have been reported stolen in the Key Largo area and those cases remain open.

Anyone with information about stolen golf carts should contact the Detective Ben Elmore at 305-853-3211. Callers who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-471-8477. Tipsters can remain anonymous and if a tip leads to an arrest in the case, the caller may be eligible for a cash reward. Tips may also be submitted online at www.floridakeyscrimestoppers.com or via a text message using the smartphone app called P3 Phone. Tips can also be submitted via social media such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using the @CrimeStoppers305 hashtag.

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