Partners in crime accused of violent cross-county Home Depot robberies in Florida
Channel: CBS 12 News - WPEC
Date: 21/04/2024

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Deputies said two 25-year-olds are the faces behind a series of violent thefts at Home Depot stores across five counties in Florida, including Palm Beach and Martin Counties. The duo will stand trial in Palm Beach County.

According to Attorney General Ashley Moody, Raheem Davis Jr. and his partner Vayshoun Harris had a game plan.

“These two criminals committed multiple robberies at Home Depot stores across five counties, violently assaulting employees in the process," Moody said.

After loading up thousands of dollars worth of merchandise in the card, they'd use counterfeit money to pay at the outdoor garden center checkout. Sometimes they'd get away with it, but not always.

"Desperate criminals do desperate things and they'll resort to violence so as not to get caught. If things go bad then they are very equipped to enact violence on people because they usually show up with a weapon," Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said.

Other times, when employees questioned them, Davis would allegedly attempt to break into the cash register, assaulting anyone in his way. At one point, Moody claims he went as far as to pepper spray a clerk.

While everyone was distracted, his sidekick would take the cart and load up the car.

See also: Governor DeSantis signs anti-theft legislation during Stuart visit

A top Home Depot executive went to Congress late last year asking for help, noting previous incidents where employees were threatened with knives and guns.

“Organized retail crime is an ongoing issue, and it has been on the rise over the last several years for many retailers. We have several initiatives in place to mitigate it, including human and technology resources to make theft in our stores more difficult, close partnerships with Attorneys General and law enforcement, and significant efforts working with federal and state task forces to fight this problem," a Home Depot representative told CBS12 News in a statement.

Florida is already cracking down. The governor was in Stuart just last week signing new legislation that will make the punishment for these thieves more than just a slap on the wrist.

"It's important to be proactive, we cannot be reactive to the trends that are happening around the country,” Representative John Snyder (R-Stuart) said.

While HB 549 won't take effect until October, Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said that doesn't stop them from working with police to put these criminals behind bars.

“Law enforcement is not going to do their jobs if they don't think that prosecutors are going to stand behind them and actually file and prosecute these cases,” Aronberg said.

In this case, Davis faces several charges including burglary with assault and robbery with a weapon which are both already considered first-degree felonies.

The two men are both in custody relating to other, previous crimes. Davis is being held in Duval County while Harris is in Manatee County.

Attorney General Ashley Moody's Office of Statewide Prosecution will handle the case in Palm Beach County.

We reached out to Home Depot to see what their employee policy is when responding to a theft or a suspected theft.

Read more: https://cbs12.com/news/local/raheem-davis-jr-vayshoun-harris-organized-retail-theft-home-depot-attorney-general-ashley-moody-palm-beach-county-trial-florida-april-15-2024#

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