MARTIN COUNTY — Two men were arrested after deputies recovered more than $14,000 worth of stolen tools following a brief pursuit tied to a vehicle burglary at a local business, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
The theft targeted a work truck parked at a business along Southwest Ellipse Way. The victim noticed suspicious activity around his trailer and called the Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies later located the suspect vehicle and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver, identified as 45-year-old Marcos Andres Balbuena Lopez of Palm Springs, refused to pull over, prompting a short pursuit.
Authorities said deputies deployed stop sticks and used a pursuit intervention technique to bring the vehicle to a controlled stop. Lopez and his passenger, 33-year-old Eyer Cedeno, who told deputies he was homeless, were taken into custody.
Inside the vehicle, deputies recovered the stolen tools along with burglary tools, according to the sheriff’s office.
During the pursuit, deputies also observed items being thrown from the vehicle. That evidence led to the recovery of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, resulting in additional charges of narcotics possession and evidence tampering.
The stolen tools were returned to the victim, authorities said.