DNA leads to arrest of Lehigh Acres man in Collier County home invasion

A 34-year-old Lehigh Acres man was arrested for his role in a home invasion robbery in Golden Gate Estates last year.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office said Andres Tremols-Tapanes was arrested on a felony warrant with charges of home invasion robbery while in possession of a firearm.

The incident happened on Nov. 21, 2020.

Deputies said Tremols-Tapanes and another man entered a home on 11th Avenue Southwest wearing masks and dark clothing. They pointed guns at two people inside, beat them and bound them with restraints before stealing money out of a safe.

They then beat someone who was outside in a vehicle.

Detectives found a black glove and tested it for DNA, which matched Tremols-Tapanes.

He was arrested on Thursday by U.S. Marshals. He was booked into Lee County Jail but will be transferred to the Collier jail.

It looked like a quiet street in a quiet neighborhood from an outside perspective. But the night the house was robbed, it was anything but. WINK News Safety and Security Specialist Rich Kolko believes this robbery doesn’t sound like a random attack.

“In a lot of cases, there’s a reason that these people pick out the home that they want to go in and rob,” said Kolko.

A neighbor spoke to WINK News off-camera and said the second robbery was in November of 2020. That’s why Kolko doesn’t think this was a random occurrence.

“The fact that they went into this particular house, found a safe with cash in it, there may be some interaction between these people somewhere in their history,” Kolko said.

Tremols-Tapanes could face charges including home invasion robbery while in possession of a firearm. Detectives are attempting to identify the second suspect.

“He’s going to be facing some serious charges,” Kolko said. “But the prosecutors and law enforcement maybe want to cut some sort of deal where if he’ll flip if he’ll give information on somebody else who was involved in this case.”

Kolko says to keep your keys nearby you at night for anyone who doesn’t have a security system. Also, Then, if you hear anyone trying to enter your residence, you can sound your car alarm. That sound would scare most criminals off.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Collier County Sheriff’s Office at 239-253-9300 or to remain anonymous, call Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-8477.