Homeless man arrested for stealing 64 cell phones from Metro PCS

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jonathan Edward Thomas, 32, has been arrested for his role in the theft of 64 cell phones from Metro PCS on November 18. Cebran Bill Kohn, 31, was previously arrested in connection with the same incident.

At about 3:38 a.m. on November 18, Gainesville Police Department (GPD) officers responded to a burglary alarm at Metro PCS (1103 N. Main Street), where surveillance video reportedly showed at least one suspect unlawfully entering the store and stealing multiple cell phones, about three minutes before officers arrived. One of the suspects can be heard saying, “Give me another bag.” A second suspect appeared to be communicating with the suspect in the store, but that suspect was not visible on the surveillance video.

Additional surveillance video reportedly showed that the suspect inside the store forced his way through the back door; an inventory after the incident found that 64 new cell phones, valued at $6,515.41, had been stolen.

An officer saw two people riding a bicycle as he approached the area of the store, and one of them matched the description of the suspect seen on surveillance video; both men were wearing full backpacks, and one was carrying a large Metro PCS bag. The officer pulled alongside the bicycle, activated his lights, and told them to stop.

When the officer asked one of the men to open his backpack, he dropped the bag and ran, and the second man fled on the bicycle.

Kohn, who fled on the bicycle, was apprehended during a K-9 search in the 800 block of NW 16th Avenue and charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and resisting an officer without violence.

The dropped backpack reportedly contained “many” cell phones, along with personal items; Thomas’s first name was written on a phone charger in the backpack, along with “Tidy,” his street name.

GPD made a Facebook post with a still photo of the burglary suspect, and several phone calls were received; all of them named Thomas, who also had warrants for an unrelated burglary and credit card fraud case.

Thomas was in a car that was pulled over on November 20, and he allegedly had a “drug pipe” and about 0.6 grams of a substance that tested positive for fentanyl.

Post Miranda, Thomas reportedly made a detailed confession to the Metro PCS burglary, including details that could only have been known by the burglar. He reportedly blamed his drug addiction and said he was hoping to find cash inside the store, but he only found cell phones, so he took as many as he could and planned to sell them on the street.

Thomas reportedly implicated Kohn as his lookout but said the burglary was his idea.

Kohn was originally arrested on drug charges and was released on his own recognizance before detectives could return to the jail and book him on the burglary charges.

Thomas reportedly said Kohn still has “a backpack full of phones that he’s selling on the street right now,” and the report notes that “numerous” phones are still missing. The report speculates that Kohn hid his backpack while he was running from officers and then went back and got it after he was released from jail the next day.

Thomas, whose address is listed as GRACE Marketplace, has been charged with burglary, grand theft, and resisting an officer without violence for the Metro PCS burglary; he has also been booked on charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia from the traffic stop and burglary, theft, and credit card fraud from a vehicle break-in on October 20. He has five felony convictions (non-violent) and two misdemeanor convictions (non-violent). Judge Robert Groeb set bail at $160,000 on the Metro PCS charges, and bail on the other charges is set at $162,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.