Fleeing Dog-Treat Package Thieves Caught By Deputy Patrolling Area

Date Added: April 02, 2018 11:34 am

Andrew Gant
Office of Public Affairs & Media Relations

Note: Body camera footage is available at https://youtu.be/cdrJIzCM-tM

FLEEING DOG-TREAT PACKAGE THIEVES CAUGHT BY DEPUTY PATROLLING AREA

A pair of package thieves wound up in handcuffs this weekend after they fled from a Volusia County sheriff’s deputy who caught them with a box of dog treats stolen from an 87-year-old woman’s porch in Daytona Beach.

The dog treats weren’t all they had in the car. In addition to a Daytona Beach Police Department charge of burglary of an occupied residence, the VCSO charged 25-year-old Jennifer Lynn Steinman (DOB 2/4/1993) of Daytona Beach with possession of cocaine, methamphetamine, cocaine, psilocybin and drug paraphernalia.

Her driver and boyfriend, 32-year-old Bryan Gibbons (DOB 4/7/1985) of Allison Park, Pa., was charged with fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement as well as possession of ammunition by a convicted felon – after the deputy discovered a pistol magazine containing 11 rounds in the center console of the car.

The incident began around 4:34 p.m. Saturday, when Deputy Omar Bello was patrolling in the area of the 800 block of Peninsula Drive, Daytona Beach. Deputy Bello saw a black Nissan SUV driving erratically through the area and noticed there appeared to be an altercation happening in the car. He attempted a traffic stop, and the vehicle fled briefly before pulling over. Steinman got out of the vehicle with an Amazon.com package in her hands, claiming she picked it up from a friend’s house.

The package’s real owner explained that she’d never met Steinman. The package contained about $6 in dog treats.

A deputy who conducted an inventory search of the car discovered several plastic baggies containing heroin, methamphetamine residue and psilocybin mushrooms, as well as five syringes and a contact lens case containing powder cocaine.

Both Gibbons and Steinman were transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail, where they were still in custody Monday morning. Steinman’s total bond was $10,000. In addition to his charges in Saturday’s incident, Gibbons was arrested on a warrant on charges of grand theft and uttering a forgery, and remained in custody on $5,000 bond.

“My elderly mother said that she feels safer knowing that your deputies are so alert and trained not just to look for the target of a search, but also to recognize and act on suspicious behavior,” the victim’s daughter wrote in a message to the Sheriff’s Office after the arrest. “Please know that we are so thankful and blessed to have brave and observant officers like Deputy Bello protecting our homes and streets.”