Two men were arrested last week after they allegedly entered a RaceTrac gas station’s bathroom and stole a firearm that belonged to a Seminole County Sheriff’s Office deputy.
On Thursday, August 29, at around 5:30 p.m., the SCSO Major Crimes Unit responded to the RaceTrac located at 1999 Slavia Road in Oviedo in reference to the theft of a deputy’s firearm. The deputy in question stated that prior to the theft, he had arrived at the gas station to use the bathroom, according to the arrest report.
The deputy advised that after entering the bathroom’s handicap stall, he placed his vest on the ground and his gun belt over the handicapped railing. When he was ready to leave, he stated that he placed his vest and gun belt back on.
The report stated that the deputy left the gas station and responded to another call for service. He soon realized that his gun was missing from his belt, and he returned to the gas station to search for it.
After being unable to find his firearm, the deputy told investigators that someone may have been in the stall next to him at the time of the theft. The deputy believed that this individual may have reached under the stall and removed the firearm from his gun belt without him realizing it, according to the report.
When investigators viewed video surveillance footage from the RaceTrac, they discovered that the deputy was the only one in the bathroom prior to the theft. When the deputy left the gas station, two individuals, identified in the report as 26-year-old Chance Byron and 23-year-old Damari Dennis, were seen entering the bathroom.
When both men emerged from the bathroom, Byron allegedly had a “noticeable bulge showing on the right side of his waist,” and he was “grabbing at the bulge” as if “trying to prevent something from falling out,” according to the report.
Byron and Dennis were then observed on the footage entering a white vehicle before fleeing from the gas station.
During an investigation, the SCSO Major Crimes Unit identified Byron and Dennis as suspects in the theft case, and detectives first made contact with Dennis at his home. After being read his Miranda rights, Dennis allegedly admitted to being in the bathroom with Byron when they “removed a firearm,” according to the report.
During the post-Miranda interview, Dennis further claimed that the firearm in question had been sold to another individual for $40 and a “firearm accessory.” He denied picking up the firearm at any point because he “didn’t want to touch it.”
A detective noted in the report that Dennis had a prior felony conviction and was on felony probation at the time of the firearm theft.
Detectives next made contact with Byron at his home and observed a vehicle matching the one that was seen on RaceTrac’s video surveillance footage. The report stated that Byron was “initially untruthful with his statements” during a post-Miranda interview, though he allegedly later told detectives that he had picked up the firearm and placed it in his right waistband before leaving the bathroom.
Byron also allegedly admitted to being present with Dennis when the firearm was sold to another individual.
After finding the firearm in the bathroom, Byron and Dennis did not attempt to contact law enforcement or any of the gas station’s employees, according to the report.
Byron and Dennis were both arrested and transported to Seminole County Jail. They are facing several felony charges, including grand theft of a firearm, failure to report lost or abandoned property, and dealing in stolen property.