Suspect in AMVETS purse snatching apprehended

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has a suspect in custody in a North Fort Myers purse snatching.
Casey Thomas Gagliardi, 19, has been charged with burglary to a conveyance and grand theft in connection to the theft.
The investigation began on Wednesday, July 6, at 10:21 a.m. after a patrol deputy assigned to Alpha District was flagged down by a man in the Suncoast Estates neighborhood. The man told the deputy he saw another man carrying his wife’s purse, which had just been taken from the AMVETS at 1910 N. Tamiami Trail.
The husband was chasing the suspect when he flagged down the deputy.
Patrol, Aviation, and Canine units responded and secured a perimeter around the area where the man with the purse was last seen. A K-9 track was conducted, which led deputies to 2617 Harmony Lane. At that address they located a male hiding under a vehicle, officials said.
The male, later identified as Gagliardi was identified by witnesses as the person who stole the purse from the AMVETS.
The victim said her purse had been hanging on the end of the bar when a person she recognized as someone who performs community service at AMVETS used the phone. When that person left, her purse was gone, too. The victim’s husband was told his wife’s purse was missing and he exited the building in time to see a man riding a blue bicycle northbound on N. Tamiami Trail with his wife’s purse on his shoulder. After the husband got into his vehicle and began to chase the suspect, he located the deputy and the perimeter was established.
The victim’s purse contained a bracelet, some cash, and miscellaneous credit cards. The couple also was missing a GPS that had been taken from their vehicle while it was parked outside AMVETS.
The bracelet and currency, along with a bag of marijuana, were where Gagliardi had been hiding under the car. He later agreed to take detectives to the woods to recover the GPS, but it could not be located, officials said. Detectives also recovered the credit cards after receiving a phone call from a citizen in the area who located the cards and some clothes in his trash can. The bicycle was found by deputies as they conducted the K-9 track.
Casey Thomas Gagliardi was charged as follows:
— One count – Burglary to a Conveyance
— Two counts – Grand Theft
— One count – Resisting an Officer without Violence
— One count – Possession of Marijuana under 20g
In addition to these charges, Gagliardi’s State Probation Officer was notified of his new charges since he is currently on probation until March 24, 2014 for felony flee/elude LEO and possession of a controlled substance.
Source: Lee County Sheriff’s Office