Winter Haven Man, 26, Steals Car and Vape, Then Hides on Pool Deck as Chopper Tracks Him
A 26-year-old Winter Haven man allegedly stole a car and vape, then hid on a pool deck before deputies arrested him.Summary
A 26-year-old Winter Haven man, Zachary Brooks, allegedly entered an occupied Plant City home on the morning of Oct. 10, stole keys and a vehicle, then drove to a gas station on Paul Buchman Highway where he reached through the sales window and stole a vape. Deputies spotted the stolen car nearly ten miles away near Jerry Smith Road and Trapnell Road, and with help from the sheriff's office Aviation Unit, kept visual contact until the vehicle stopped on East Trapnell Road. Brooks fled on foot and was arrested hiding on the back pool deck of a nearby residence just after 9:40 a.m. He faces charges including grand theft of a motor vehicle, three counts of burglary, fleeing to elude at high speeds, reckless driving, driving with a suspended or revoked license, resisting an officer, and petit theft. Brooks was previously arrested by Plant City police on Sept. 5 in a separate case involving resisting an officer without violence, false imprisonment, and domestic battery. The incident comes amid a national decline in auto theft, with 659,900 vehicles stolen in 2025, a 35.4 percent decrease from 2023, though Hillsborough County has previously dealt with large-scale auto theft operations.
(Source：Hoodline)
