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Brother, Sister Accused In Publix Break-In

Surveillance video WFTV obtained shows two suspected thieves inside a Poinciana Publix store and deputies say the crooks were a brother and sister. Officers say 21-year-old Headie Dee Aponte and her brother, 35-year-old Julio Alfredo Ruiz, broke into the store on Cypress Parkway late Wednesday night.

The surveillance video was very clear (video | images). Investigators said it shows Aponte going through drawers while her brother Julio Ruiz breaks open a change machine near the cash registers.

The pair was seen in surveillance video breaking into the store from the ceiling and then proceeding to go through cabinets and drawers, even trying to get into the store's safe. They also ripped open the change machine and made off with plenty of coins, but investigators were smart enough to move quickly with their investigation and realize the two wouldn't be able spend their days just spending change.


RAW SURVEILLANCE: Video | Images

The video shows Aponte wearing an FBI cap to disguise herself, but little did she know she would soon be helping in the investigation after the brother and sister made off with dozens of cigarette cartons and bags of coins. It didn't take long for the two to try to make bills out of the change at a Winn-Dixie and investigators were called to the scene.

“The suspects went to another supermarket. They attempted to exchange the coins for bills or for money,” said Twis Lizasuain, Osceola County Sheriff's Department.

At the Winn-Dixie, Ruiz was unaware that employees were on to him when he complained the CoinStar machine was jammed.

“Detectives worked very quickly to notify other supermarkets that had coin machines and also the local banks. And it was the quick-thinking of the detective and employees that contacted us and led to this arrest,” she said.

To add insult to injury, it appears from the video one of the crooks is nursing some bruises.

“When detectives got on scene, they noticed that one of the air vents on the roof had been opened, and the suspects crawled in through the air vent,” Lizasuain said.

Cops aren't sure just who took the tumble, but one of them took a very hard landing onto a table before the heist had even begun.

With witnesses, video and a lot of fingerprints, detectives consider this one a slam dunk.

Investigators said the two have a record of retail theft and other crimes. They said they did significant damage to the store, because they turned off the power to bypass the security system, which turned off the blowers for the coolers and ruined food.
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