Miami felon sought in beachside theft
STORY
If Gervens Dieujuste is ever caught, he is likely to have to pay a heavy price for the small pawnshop take he got earlier this month for goods allegedly stolen on the barrier island. The habitual Miami felon is wanted in connection with the theft of a GPS from a car on Silver Palm Drive and the likely theft of a 40-inch television from a home around the corner on Conn Way.
Diejuste apparently didn’t even try to hide his identity. He also gave the owner of Vero pawnshop his fingerprints, which led police to put out the alert for his arrest.
Vero police say that on the same day the items were pawned at a 21st Street pawn shop, Dieujuste also sold some other goods in Brevard County.
“He’s probably still up north,” said Vero Beach Police Detective Richard Shimenti.
This is the first time local police have heard of Dieujuste.
Police in other areas know him well. In 2010, he was arrested on burglary charges in Broward County. Just four months ago, he was arrested in Miami-Dade County.
Police here feel certain Dieujuste is involved in the Silver Palm and Conn Way thefts although on Monday they didn’t have all the paperwork filled for the Conn Way television theft.
Dieujuste, whose name and fingerprints are listed on a national database because of his past felony convictions, sold the two items allegedly stolen from the island in early March.
After showing a photo identification and submitting his fingerprints, something required at pawn shops, Dieujuste got $180 for the TV and GPS.
Pawned items – including a description and in some cases, serial numbers, as well as information on the person hawking the goods – are stored in a database which is then reviewed by police. Many crooks will try and avoid detection and get someone without a record to sell the items.
Even if Dieujuste had taken that route in an attempt to avoid detection, chances are high the GPS owner would have been located because of his thoroughness in logging important property numbers.
