Suspected Porch Pirate Arrested for Newberry Thefts

NEWBERRY ‒ Thanks to a Ring Doorbell and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO), a suspected porch pirate was taken into custody on Dec. 12. A Newberry man’s Ring Doorbell Camera aided ACSO detectives in recovering an item stolen from the victim’s covered front porch at 1:51 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 12. Due to the camera capturing the culprit in action, what he was wearing and the vehicle in which he left the scene, deputies later were able to locate a vehicle matching the description of the suspect’s vehicle at Newberry Car Wash, 77 N.W. 250^th Street.

Gainesville resident Terrell Shane Rhine, 40, was arrested and charged with two counts of grand theft over $750 and two counts of armed burglary after allegedly stealing packages from front porches in Newberry. At the time of his arrest, ACSO detectives reported that the defendant was wearing the same camouflage pants he wore in the camera footage and also had the same facial hair. Packages from both thefts were in the truck. On the passenger seat was the black hooded style sweat shirt he was wearing in the videos.

ACSO deputies responded to two Newberry porch theft incidents. The first victim said a package had been placed on a covered front porch and that his doorbell camera had captured a man taking the box and then leaving in a small gray pickup truck. The man was wearing a black hooded jacket and camouflage pants.

The second victim reported that a package placed on a covered front porch was taken by a man wearing the same clothing reported by the first victim. This second incident was also captured on a doorbell camera and the suspect also left in a small gray pickup truck.

Post Miranda, Rhine reportedly declined to answer questions about the thefts and said he was in Newberry to pick up his son. In a later interview, he reportedly said he had two knives when he took the items during multiple burglaries.

Rhine has two non violent misdemeanor convictions and completed a pre-trial intervention agreement on a felony fleeing charge in 2011.

Bail was set at $20,000 by Judge Aymer “Buck” Curtin on first appearance.

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