WILLOUGHBY, Ohio — Two Florida men have been arrested after allegedly causing a three-car accident and stealing items from vehicles at the Willoughby YMCA.
Police say they responded to the area of Euclid Avenue and Robinhood Drive on Wednesday at 3:35 p.m. for a three-car accident, including one vehicle that had rolled over.
An individual told dispatch that two males and a female with a small child, who were in the vehicle that allegedly caused the accident, fled the area on foot.
Police later located and arrested Steven Santos of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Ener Benitez-Valentin of Coral Springs, Florida.
Inside the 2023 gray GMC Terrain with a Florida license plate, police found numerous driver’s licenses, ID cards, credit cards and checkbooks. It was later reported that several vehicles had been broken into at the Willoughby YMCA parking lot, which is located close to the accident scene. Police identified the stolen property as the items which were found inside the GMC Terrain.
Santos was charged with grand theft, receiving stolen property, criminal tools and resisting arrest, while Benitez-Valentin was charged with grand theft, receiving stolen property and criminal tools.
Both of the men were arraigned in court on Thursday and are currently being held at the Lake County Jail.
The stolen property recovered belonged to individuals in Ohio, New Jersey, Michigan and Massachusetts.
At this time, the investigation remains ongoing, and police are in the process of contacting the owners of the recovered property.
Police say that the two other individuals involved in the crash were transported to Lake West Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
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