Hialeah Police Say 'Professional Thief' Is Behind Bars After Car Burglaries
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HIALEAH (CBSMiami) -- Fingerprints lifted off a burglarized vehicle in Hialeah led to the arrest of a man considered a career criminal, police said.
Gregory Angel Gonzalez, 23, was picked up by Hialeah Police on Thursday after a vehicle was burgled a day earlier near W. 79th Street and W. 6th Avenue.
Surveillance video showed a man checking a vehicle for an unlocked door in the neighborhood and taking property from inside. Moments before, the suspect is seen driving a late 90's Mercury Grand Marquis slowly passed the victim's residence.
"He went in the car and took everything he found including my husband's wallet," said the homeowner. "He took his credit cards and then used them.
Police said Gonzalez is well-known to them.
"We've arrested Gregory Gonzalez, 23 years old, once again," said Det. Carl Zogby. "He's a professional thief, it's not the first time we've arrested him. He's a drug addict. He does this to support his habit."
Each victim left their doors unlocked.
"He searches, tries some door locks. When he finds them open, he starts rummaging through the car, taking anything he can of value, while it's credit cards, and then he uses those credit cards," added Det. Zogby.
Gonzalez was charged for four burglaries and police believe he's responsible for many more.
"We know he's committed several more these days. We continue to investigate so we're gonna be able to close a lot more cases," said Det. Zogby. "So we've got him off the street for a while and that makes us very happy and makes the victims very happy. Hopefully he won't be up to these things for a while now."
Gonzalez faces several counts of burglary and one count of grand theft.