In Homestead, Florida, a burglary witness couldn’t help but exclaim, “What an idiot!” after watching a burglar attempt to dangling from the roof of SmartStop Self Storage and fall instead.
Homestead police officers were able to identify Tyvarius Tygwyan Stroud Mattison as the clumsy burglar who stole sneakers worth about $20,000 from a storage unit at 1235 NE 12 Ave.
According to reports, SmartStop Self Storage experienced a minimum of two other burglaries.
On Thursday, the owners of a particular unit confronted Stroud Mattison, accusing him of stealing clothes and sneakers worth tens of thousands of dollars in late June. Mattison had been caught after the owners waited for his return and confronted him.
According to the victim, the perpetrator was persistent in his attempts to gain access to the unit. “He didn’t give up easily. He kept coming back for more,” the victim stated. The perpetrator used a dolly or cart as a makeshift staircase to climb through the ceiling and remove screws from the top.
Stroud Mattison was confronted by the storage unit owner and when the police were called, he tried to make a desperate escape by navigating through the maze of storage units. However, his efforts were in vain as he found himself in front of see-through windows with his legs hanging, realizing that he had been caught.
According to Miami-Dade corrections records, the individual was present at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Friday. The suspect is being charged with multiple offenses, including one count of second-degree grand theft, two counts of third-degree grand theft, three counts of burglary of an unoccupied structure, and one count of resisting an officer without violence.
Stroud Mattison received instructions from a Miami-Dade judge during his court appearance on Friday to stay away from the storage unit and require a police officer’s assistance if he needs to retrieve his belongings. The judge found probable cause for the charges against him.
The suspect asked for a lower bond amount, citing financial difficulties. However, the judge denied the request because of his prior offenses and the significant value of the stolen items.