Deputies: 2 suspects burglarized Habitat for Humanity site in Port Charlotte, kicked K9

Two suspects were arrested Wednesday night after Charlotte County deputies say they helped steal materials from a Habitat for Humanity construction site and kicked the K9 that tracked them down.

Odilio Miranda, 20, and an underage suspect face charges of grand theft, residential burglary, resisting arrest, and causing bodily harm to a police dog. According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a call around 7:30 p.m. from a neighbor who witnessed the two suspects at the construction site.

The witness said a friend had called him about people on the roof of the home under construction, throwing materials down and loading them into a truck. The witness then walked to the scene, where he saw two men walking from the passenger side of a pickup truck toward the entrance of the home. The witness said he asked the men what they were doing, at which time they sped off in the truck, and Miranda and the underage suspect ran away. The witness stated the truck bed had been weighed down on one side, which he could tell because of the angle at which it sat.

CCSO deputies contacted K9 deputies from the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, in Charlotte County, to assist during Hurricane Ian recovery efforts. IRCSO deputies began tracking Miranda and the underage suspect.

A short time after, IRCSO deputies announced that they had located the suspects hiding in the tree line of a wooded lot. After the suspects refused to come out, their K9 was released and bit Miranda on the leg. The underage suspect then began kicking the K9 in the ribs until being taken to the ground by a deputy. Both suspects were then taken into custody.

Miranda faces charges of residential burglary, grand theft and resisting without violence. The juvenile suspect faces charges of residential burglary, grand theft, resisting without violence and causing bodily harm to a police dog.