Orange County sees overall increase in robberies

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Channel 9 has learned robberies are on the rise and deputies in Orange County have had nearly 1,400 in 2013 alone, up from 1,200 in 2012.

Deputies said cellphones are contributing to the rise in robberies, because they're easy targets and sell for big money on the streets.

The robberies are happening in places most people visit on a daily basis, including parking lots, hotels and even banks.

"One bank robbery in particular where they came in, put a gun to a customers and demanded money. Just an innocent person in the bank at the wrong time," said Sgt. Parks Duncan.

"It's kind of disturbing, because I want to be safe where I go because I have children," said Orange County resident Seth DeJesus.  "If somebody's robbing somebody, what else are they going to do?"

Last year, deputies made arrests in every single bank robbery. But in the last two weeks, there have been three bank robberies, and detectives are still looking for those robbers.

"The problem is, they're endangering everyone around them," said Duncan.

Deputies told Channel 9 they're increasing patrols and doing a lot of work behind the scenes in an effort to catch the crooks.

WFTV