A burglary at a self-storage facility in Lake Mary, Fla., was thwarted early Friday morning when police-canine units arrived at the property to conduct training exercises. Two men, one of them masked, were using bolt-cutters to break into storage units at Lake Mary Mini Storage around 1:30 a.m., according to the source. About 20 minutes after they began, six police-dog training units from the Lake Mary and Orlando Police Departments arrived at the property for drills.
“Great coincidence. Bad luck for the people breaking in,” said Brenda Young, who owns the facility with her husband. The couple have allowed police to use the property for after-hours training for nearly a year. “I felt sorry for the guys breaking in, because they didn’t have a chance.”
Once spotted, the thieves ran. One was caught before leaving the property; the other escaped but was apprehended an hour later. Tavon Perkins and Jamal Taylor have been charged with burglary and were booked at the Seminole County Jail, the source reported.
It appears the men accessed the property via a side fence that doesn’t include the barbed wire consistent with the rest of the site’s perimeter fencing, police said. Young said she plans to re-evaluate the property’s security.
Gary Rivers, who stores his classic car at the facility, was surprised when his key didn’t work in the lock the morning after the break in. The suspects allegedly tried to break into his unit but were unsuccessful, police said. “I stuck my key in, [it] didn’t do anything, and I’m thinking I have the wrong key. And I look again and see the indentations of the bolt-cutters,” Rivers said. “I’m very thankful they were here doing the training.”
The Youngs were also grateful for the canine units’ timing. “They can be here every night and do this. They can train their dogs and I’ll even buy them dog treats,” Brenda Young said.
