On March 11, around 1:20 p.m., officers responded to a reported theft from Strada Services in Sanford, Florida. A police affidavit states officers met with the company’s corporate investigator, who said around 9:30 a.m., he was notified of an incident involving Ramos, who was employed as an a/c installer for the company’s Fort Myers location. 

Officers learned Ramos had arrived late at work, so his manager reviewed the GPS tracking history of his company vehicle. The data showed the vehicle had stopped at a storage facility around 6:30 a.m. in Cape Coral, Florida. Reviewing the vehicle’s interior and external camera systems showed Ramos operating the vehicle, with the cargo area containing multiple bags of HVAC flex duct material. 

Flex duct is often targeted for theft due to its value and demand within the HVAC industry, the police report states. The estimated value of each bag is about $50 to $95. 

The footage also showed several other unmarked vans, trucks, and trailers. When Ramos left the location, the cargo area of his van appeared to be empty. 

Detectives reviewed surveillance footage from the storage facility. It depicted multiple vehicles near storage units and four individuals already present when Ramos arrived in his work van.  

“The video shows Ramos exiting the vehicle, meeting with several individuals already on scene, and unloading multiple items from the van into nearby storage units,” a statement from the Cape Coral Police Department says. 

Strada employees identified the items as HVAC equipment belonging to Strada, including mastic buckets, rolls of black strap, Panduit straps, and insulated board. The total value of the items was estimated at $1,985. 

Strada’s corporate investigator said Ramos doesn’t have permission to use the company van for any other jobs and cannot store items at storage facilities. 

When asked about the equipment by his manager via text, Ramos didn’t mention storing the materials. Police located Ramos at a grocery store and took him into custody around 9:22 p.m. 

When questioned by officers about the incident, Ramos said he was at the storage facility to pick up his friend but denied removing any items, which contradicted the surveillance footage. 

A search warrant executed later that evening resulted in the materials being recovered and confirmed as belonging to the employer. 

Arrest records show Ramos was released from Lee County Jail on March 12 after posting a $2,500 bond.