Brevard County Sheriff’s Office East Precinct Agents Recognized For the Investigative Efforts

Agent Barrial (left) and Agent Peter Stead (right)

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – In late December a Home Invasion Robbery occurred at a residence in Merritt Island, Florida. After climbing through a window, the suspect placed a “sawed off” shotgun to the victim’s head and ordered the victim to empty his pockets.

Pursuant to the Home Invasion the suspect stole the victim’s 2016 Toyota Camry and fled the area. Patrol units, Aviation and K-9 Deputies subsequently canvased the area, but were unable to locate the suspect.

It was later determined that the stolen vehicle was used to commit vehicle burglaries at Weusthoff Medical Center in Rockledge.

As a result of both incidents Agent Raonel Barrial obtained surveillance video and discovered that one of the suspects matched the physical, as well as clothing description of the suspect in the initial Home Invasion case.

In addition to the original cases, later in the day a residential burglary occurred at a residence in Rockledge, Florida where the victim’s credit card was then used at a Wal-Mart in Melbourne, Florida.

Agent Barrial was able to obtain surveillance footage of the suspects in that case and used the photos to create an Intelligence Bulletin that was then disseminated to agencies throughout Brevard County.

Within a short period of time Agent Barrial was contacted by a Cocoa Police Detective who recognized the suspects in the bulletin from previous investigations.

Agent Barrial then met with Cocoa P.D. Detectives and discovered that a concerned citizen had taken a photograph of 4 subjects who were also observed burglarizing vehicles in his neighborhood. In the photograph the suspect was wearing the same clothing that the Home Invasion victim described.

A few days into the investigation, Agent Barrial learned that a female suspect in the case had been arrested and was in the Brevard County Jail.

Through investigative tools, Agent Barrial and Agent Peter Stead learned that the suspect who was in the Brevard County Jail had detailed knowledge of the Home Invasion, as well as other crimes committed by two additional suspects.

Agent Barrial and Agent Stead responded to the jail and conducted an interview with the suspect who not only confessed to the criminal activity but also provided enough detailed information that Agent Stead and Agent Barrial were able to establish probable cause for the primary suspect in the Home Invasion case.

On December 30, 2016, agents with the Game Over Task Force located the suspects at a motel in Volusia County.

The suspects, who were armed and still driving the stolen Toyota Camry, engaged agents in a deadly force confrontation, and several agents and Volusia County officers responded with gun fire.

Upon taking the suspects into custody, they were found to be in possession of multiple firearms and thousands of dollars worth of stolen jewelry.

As a result of the arrests, additional evidence and witnesses were developed that corroborated the statements of the defendants as well as other aspects of the case.

Throughout the course of the investigation, Agent Barrial and Agent Stead worked diligently by utilizing various investigative tools, pursuing every possible lead and employing outstanding interview tactics that ultimately led to a confession.
Without question the suspects in this case would have continued their violent crime spree putting more citizens in harm’s way in not for the quick actions and skills of Agent Barrial and Agent Stead.

Please join me in thanking them for a job well done and for their outstanding dedication to protecting our citizens.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey has been a law enforcement officer for over three decades. Sheriff Ivey is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and has a Bachelor’s Degree from Daytona State College in Management and Supervision. Sheriff Ivey’s background in law enforcement is inclusive of Management, Criminal Investigations, Narcotics, Patrol Services, Public Integrity Investigations, and Corrections.

Prior to being elected in 2012, Sheriff Ivey served the citizens of the State of Florida as a Resident Agent in Charge for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. As a member of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Sheriff Ivey developed and created the country’s first ever statewide Task Force on Identity Theft. That same year the Task Force was named one of the top five most innovative programs in the country by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and investigated approximately 44 million dollars in fraud cases. Additionally, as a member of FDLE, Sheriff Ivey created the Child Abduction Response Team (C.A.R.T) that re-defined the way Child Abduction cases are conducted throughout the country today. The program was later selected as the most innovative program in the country by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and is now used as a nationwide model in the response and investigation of child abductions.

Sheriff Ivey has testified before the United States Congress on law enforcement related matters and has extensive experience in the area of Public Integrity Investigations. Sheriff Ivey was honored as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Special Agent of the Year (1996) and was also recognized by the Commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for his Outstanding Contributions to Criminal Justice. In August of 2011 Sheriff Ivey was honored by the National Organization of Victims Advocacy for his work at the national level as an advocate of victim’s rights and protection.

Sheriff Ivey speaks regularly on topics such as Identity Theft, Crime in America, Human Trafficking, Domestic Violence, and Self Defense through Mental Preparedness. Sheriff Ivey firmly believes that Crime Prevention and Education are vital to reduce our crime rate and protect our community.

Similar Stories