STOCK ISLAND — An 18-year-old Big Coppitt Key man accused of setting fire to a stolen truck was charged Thursday, adding to the list of woes he currently faces from an armed robbery that occurred last year, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Isaiah Robert Rodriguez, 18, was already facing felony robbery with a firearm, resisting arrest and possession of marijuana. Second-degree felony arson was added to that list Thursday.
John Mann Jr., 17, of Cudjoe Key, and Nathan Borrego, 17, of Stock Island, were also charged with robbery with a firearm in November.
Detectives say the robbery occurred in the Coral Hammock parking lot on Oct. 22 when four Marathon teens walking in the area reported that a black truck pulled up, the driver yelled, the truck made a U-turn and approached them again, reports say.
The black truck, soon accompanied by a silver truck, stopped at the entry to the Coral Hammock complex. The driver of the black truck got out wearing a mask and hoodie and pointed a gun at one of the victims, demanding he turn over his bag and cellphone, reports say.
He reportedly demanded the password to post a Snapchat photo on the victim’s Snapchat account. The photo depicted the suspect with the words, “Never going to KW again.”
As a deputy was talking with the victims, a silver truck drove by that the victims identified as the same from the robbery, reports say. The deputy attempted to follow it, but lost sight of it. The black truck, later found to have been stolen out of Key West, was discovered burned behind 12th Avenue.
One witness told detectives he received several Facetime videos from a phone belonging to a teen named John Mann Jr., reports say. The videos featured Rodriguez reportedly brandishing a gun and pointing it at the camera.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Rodriguez and one of the victims reportedly have had longstanding issues between them. In addition, Mann drives a silver truck that matches the description of the second truck involved in the robbery.
Information in the Crime Report is obtained from reports provided by area law enforcement agencies.
If you have information that could help solve a crime in the Florida Keys, call Crime Stoppers, 800-346-TIPS.