Suspect nabbed in Cape San Blas burglaries

The Gulf County Sheriff’s Office has identified and obtained warrants for a man suspected in six residential burglaries on Cape San Blas.

According to a statement released in the late afternoon on Sept. 2, investigators first began looking for the man, Kevin Schoelles, 36, of Apalachicola, in mid-August after a cooler was reported stolen from underneath a resident’s carport.

According to the August 21 report, video surveillance from the victim’s property, which was obtained by GCSO, revealed the suspect and the vehicle used to commit the crime. 

 “After posting a snapshot of the video to social media requesting the public’s assistance, investigators received a tip that led them to (Schoelles),” the GCSO statement read. “The following day, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office stopped Schoelles while he was driving the vehicle used in the burglaries and subsequently arrested him on unrelated charges.” 

Investigators then learned Schoelles had committed several other burglaries, which had not been reported to GCSO. Gulf County Sheriff Michael Harrison said that these other thefts were of similar conditions to the cooler robbery.   

“We canvassed the neighborhoods, you know, obviously looking for any kind of cameras that were available,” he told the Star. “And then, you know, once people got there and started looking at their surveillance footage… lo and behold, when they go to that time frame, they see him there and realize.” 

 “It’s still just small items from mostly underneath the residence and none actually going inside the house that I’m aware of,” Harrison continued. 

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office assisted the GCSO investigation by executing a search warrant for Schoelles’ Apalachicola residence, where some of the stolen items were recovered. 

Schoelles remains incarcerated in Franklin County Jail. GCSO has obtained warrants for charging him with six counts of burglary, four counts of grand theft, one county of trespassing  and petit theft.” 

Schoelles previously served time in prison for theft and burglary convictions in 2008 and 2011. He was released Nov. 2019, two years into a four-year sentence for burglary.