Cape San Blas thefts linked to suspects in stolen car
On Oct. 4, the Gulf County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call to aid Port St. Joe Police Department officers in their pursuit of a stolen vehicle from Bay County, according to an Oct. 5 release from the GCSO.
The two men in the stolen car later were linked to a string of vehicle burglaries on Cape San Blas.
J-Babe Williams, 36, the passenger in the vehicle, was arrested by Port St. Joe police after jumping from the car’s window and attempting to flee on foot just north of Avenue A. Moments later, the release read, the car’s driver, Rasha Jahaad Cummings, 29, crashed the car into a ditch and fled into the nearby woods. He was apprehended a short time later.
“It was good teamwork, all the people involved,” said Gulf County Sheriff Mike Harrison. “Between the combination of the Police Department and the Sheriff’s office working together, that’s ultimately why (the suspects) eventually got into custody.”
While officers searched for Cummings, the Gulf County Sheriff’s Office began to receive reports of vehicle burglaries on Cape San Blas. They had received 10 reports of theft as of the date of the release, with stolen items including credit cards, cash, personal identifying information, and other belongings.
All vehicles were reported to have been unlocked at the time of theft, and no forced entries were made.
When the recovered stolen vehicle was processed by authorities, stolen items from the Cape San Blas burglaries were produced, including a firearm believed to have been taken from one of the unlocked cars.
Cummings and Williams remain in custody at the Gulf County Detention Facility, with additional charges for the burglaries forthcoming, according to the GCSO release.
If anyone on Cape San Blas discovers they are missing items from their vehicle, they are asked to contact the GCSO at 850-227-1115.
“The GCSO asks everyone do their part in deterring this type of criminal activity by simply locking their vehicles,” the release reads.
