An 18-year-old Fort Pierce resident is facing serious felony charges after law enforcement discovered him sleeping inside a stolen vehicle. The arrest, which took place in Martin County, may help authorities solve a string of recent burglaries across the broader Treasure Coast region.
Cedric Lenard Culver was apprehended on September 5 in the parking lot of the Treasure Coast Square mall in Jensen Beach. According to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, deputies approached the stolen car and found Culver asleep inside. A subsequent search of the vehicle yielded multiple stolen bank cards, credit cards, and personal identification documents that did not belong to the suspect.
Culver has been officially charged with:
Martin County deputies are currently collaborating with the Port St. Lucie Police Department to trace the stolen documents and the vehicle back to their rightful owners. Investigators strongly believe the recovered items are directly connected to multiple recent burglaries within the St. Lucie County area.
During the investigation, Culver admitted to causing damage to the stolen vehicle prior to his arrest. He told deputies that he had crashed into another car but intentionally fled the scene because he feared being caught driving a stolen automobile.
Authorities discovered an 18-year-old asleep in a stolen car at a Jensen Beach mall, recovering dozens of stolen credit cards and potentially solving multiple St. Lucie County burglaries in the process.
Following his arrest, Culver was transported to the Martin County Jail, where he is being held on a $50,000 bail. Law enforcement continues to investigate the full extent of the burglaries tied to the recovered evidence.
