Florida man arrested in connection to Dorchester Co. commercial burglary

DORCHESTER CO., Md. – Dorchester County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested a Florida man in connection to a large scale commercial burglary.

In December, deputies were called to Gootee’s Marine in Church Creek for a reported theft from a secure boat storage yard. Investigation revealed that six outboard boat motors, valued at over $187,000, had been stolen from customer vessels. Additional property damage brought the total estimated loss to more than $212,000.

Through an extensive investigation, detectives identified 34-year-old Jose Sangermes of Lake Worth, Florida, as a primary suspect. He was located and arrested in Florida before being extradited back to Maryland on Thursday.

Sangermes has been formally charged with 21 offenses, including second degree burglary, theft over $100,000, two counts of motor vehicle theft, conspiracy to commit second degree burglary, and more.