Trio arrested for breaking into southwest Miami-Dade home with teen inside and stealing over $350,000 in cash
Three men were arrested Tuesday afternoon after deputies say they broke into a southwest Miami-Dade home while a teen was inside, stealing over $359,000 in cash.
According to arrest reports, Antonio Mesa, 47, from Miramar, Leonel Ramirez, 47, from Miami, and Pablo Arrechavaleta, 49, from Miami, are facing multiple felony charges, including burglary.
The documents say that the three men arrived at a home located on Southwest 152nd Court and 182nd Terrace in the Richmond West neighborhood in a silver four-door SUV. Arrechavaleta allegedly stayed inside the vehicle while Mesa and Ramirez jumped a concrete fence to enter the backyard without permission.
The report alleges that once the men were in the backyard they tried to pry open a window on the north side of the home but were unsuccessful, so they then moved to a rear French door which they allegedly pried open using a screwdriver. The report estimated that the two men's damage to the window and French door was about $1,000.
After they got inside, the report said that Mesa and Ramirez ransacked the upstairs master bedroom, taking $359,400 in cash. A 14-year-old boy was inside the home at the time of the burglary, the documents state.
A Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office aviation unit tracked the men as they left the residence and got back into the SUV driven by Arrechavaleta, according to the affidavits. The pilot directed responding units to the vehicle as it left the neighborhood.
Deputies stopped the SUV near SW 157 Ave. and SW 181 Terrace, the affidavits state. All three men were taken into custody without incident.
Mesa and Ramirez each face charges of burglary of an occupied dwelling, grand theft in the third degree, criminal mischief causing $1,000 or more in damage, and possession of burglary tools, according to the affidavits. Arrechavaleta faces charges of burglary of an occupied dwelling, grand theft in the third degree, and criminal mischief causing $1,000 or more in damage, the documents show.
Mesa's bond is set at $75,001, while the other two men are on an immigration hold.