Crime Stoppers tip leads to arrest of burglar
A Crime Stoppers tip led to the arrest of a suspect in the July 16 burglary at the Publix Supermarket on Pine Island Road. Cape Coral Police Detectives Daniel Iten and Frank Antos Jr. arrested Shawn Michael Hough, 27, 2526 N.E. 6th Place, after he admitted to breaking the window at the Publix liquor store and stealing two bottles of Bacardi rum. Hough was charged with burglary and petit theft.
On July 16, at 4:25 a.m., the alarm company for Publix contacted Cape police about an alarm activation in the liquor store area of the supermarket located at 1735 N.E. Pine Island Road. A store employee found that a window next to the door had been smashed, and two bottles of rum were missing. A brick was located in the vicinity. The value of the rum was $36; however, the damage to the window and floor was estimated at $2,500.
Cape police reportedly received a tip from a caller to Crime Stoppers on Saturday, July 18, who indicated that Hough was responsible for the burglary. Detectives contacted Hough at his residence in the northeast Cape, and Hough allegedly admitted that he broke the window and stole the liquor. Hough told detectives he found a brick on his way to the liquor store and threw it through the window. He reviewed the still photos from the store’s surveillance cameras and identified himself as the perpetrator. Hough then directed detectives to a trash can in his garage where an empty Bacardi liquor bottle was located.
Hough was arrested and charged with the burglary. He was transported to the Lee County Jail.