Man Arrested for Breaking into Cars in Jail Parking Lot Minutes After His Release

A man who was just released from jail was arrested minutes later after deputies found him burglarizing cars in the jail’s parking lot.

Michael Casey Lewis had just bonded out of jail after being charged with grand theft in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Deputies then saw him acting suspiciously in the jail’s parking lot, pulling on car door handles and looking in car windows.

They found out that he had stolen some items from inside one of the cars, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook.

Lewis was arrested again, but quickly released on a new $11,250 bond, according to TC Palm.

Grand theft is a charge under Florida law of stealing something valued at $300 and up, according to the Hussein & Webber law firm.

An arrest affidavit says that Lewis gave police a bag full of items he stole from a parked car. In it were cigarettes, cash, a debit card, and a Florida driver license. He also handed the police a cell phone.

Another officer said Lewis told him he was in the parking lot waiting for his girlfriend to pick him up, and he observed Lewis with cigarettes and cash, things that people coming out of jail wouldn’t normally have, according to the affidavit.

The victim identified to police what property had been taken from her car, including an iPhone 7, four packs of cigarettes, a Florida driver license, $547 in cash, and a Visa debit card, the affidavit says. The victim said she must have left her car doors unlocked by accident and that it had never happened before.

“After being released, deputies in the parking lot of the jail observed Lewis pulling car door handles and learned he had just burglarized several cars right there at the jail,” the Sheriff’s Office stated. https://t.co/151uVmchBi

— TCPalm (@TCPalm) April 5, 2019

Police were also able to review security camera footage of the crime and see Lewis in action, according to the affidavit.

Commenters on the Facebook post were surprised Lewis was released for a second time.

“I’m confused I thought if you were out on bond, if you get re-arrested that revokes your bond so you cannot bond out on new charges???? That’s what I have seen plenty of times so why is this different?” wrote Melissa Peavy.

“Repeat offenders like this just need to stay put in their cell. Glad to see the SO and local PD doing what they can, but the court system needs to wake up.” wrote Chris Pearson. “Sure it’s not a major felony but clearly he is not ever going to be a productive member of society and he needs to stay put right behind those bars.”

“How does someone who clearly has no cash and assets BOND out of jail??? First one might be doable with a bondsman (Clearly I don’t know the rules/system for that process) but the second arrest in minutes? That’s a broken system right there and explains a lot of the FB burglary/car break in posts by law enforcement looking for suspects,” wrote BeBe Gillespie.

Florida Man Released From Jail, Gets Re-Arrested In Prison Parking Lot Minutes Later After Breaking Into Cars: Florida man! Always coming through, the Florida man. Michael Casey Lewis was released on bond from a Florida jail on grand… https://t.co/s1bePWVQJr #Life #Florida pic.twitter.com/cTPmfd2tLK

— Buckles and Bulls (@BucklesandBulls) April 6, 2019

Some of the commenters said that he could bond out the second time due to the legal process, but that his bond could still be revoked in time.

“Everyone that goes to jail no matter how many times you go to jail, is entitled to bail if it’s not a capital offense. When the state attorney in the 1st arrest sees a second arrest in the system he will issue a warrant for his arrest to revoke his bond just like everybody else,” Lisa M. Johns-Grose wrote.

St. Lucie is on Florida’s southeastern coast. It is situated about 120 miles south of Orlando and 60 miles north of West Palm Beach. The county has 313,000 residents and is one of four Florida counties that make up the Treasure Coast, according to the St. Lucie EDC.