SEBASTIAN — SWAT team officials and crisis negotiators found a man hiding in an attic at a home on Monday after reports linking him to a stolen pickup truck out of Osceola County, officials said. The man barricaded himself in the residence, leading to a six-hour standoff with deputies, said Lt. Kevin Jaworski, a spokesperson for the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.
“Due to his extensive criminal history and previous statements that he would get into a shootout before going back to jail, SWAT and crisis negotiators were deployed,” Jaworski said.
Keith Monroe Rodgers PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Keith Monroe Rodgers, 37, of the 400 block of Melrose Lane, Sebastian, was charged with grand theft auto and resisting an officer without violence. Rodgers was held Tuesday at the Indian River County Jail on a $20,000 bond.
Indian River County sheriff’s officials received an alert about 10:32 a.m. on Monday morning from the agency’s Flock Safety license plate reader system about a white Ford F-350 previously stolen on Oct. 19. The truck was headed westbound near Louisiana Avenue on County Road 512, deputies said.
The driver then made a stop at the Sebastian Home Depot, located at 13361 U.S. 1, to make a purchase. Deputies used surveillance and the sheriff’s Real Time Crime Center to identify the driver as Rodgers.
Rodgers bought lumber from the Home Depot, loaded the materials in the stolen truck and drove home. Deputies found Rodgers’ truck parked in the driveway of his residence.
It was unclear why Rodgers went shopping for the lumber.
“The suspect was seen unloading wood, but fled into the residence upon seeing law enforcement,” Jaworski said.
Deputies said Rodgers barricaded himself in the home and refused to respond to their verbal commands. The standoff lasted from 11 a.m. to about 5 p.m., Jaworski said.
After several hours, deputies found Rodgers hiding in the attic, detained him and booked him into the county jail. Rodgers was also expected to face charges out of Osceola County.
Details on Rodgers’ arraignment were not immediately available.
