WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Dwaine Anthony Sharpe, Jr., 17, Winter Haven, has been arrested and charged with Armed Robbery and Dealing in Stolen Property following a violent encounter stemming from a Facebook Marketplace transaction.
The incident occurred on May 6, 2025, at approximately 7:25 p.m. in the vicinity of Gotthard Pass Drive in Wesley Chapel.
According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, the adult male victim, who operates a locksmith business, had arranged to meet Sharpe to sell an AUTEL key fob programming device. The meeting took place at a residence on Gotthard Pass Drive, near Sharpe’s listed address of 1523 Fuji Court in Winter Haven.
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As the victim retrieved the programming device from the trunk of his vehicle, Sharpe allegedly inquired about payment methods and suggested using CashApp. While the victim was on the phone with his girlfriend to obtain her CashApp information, with his back turned to Sharpe, the teenager allegedly snatched the device from his hands and fled on foot through neighborhood yards.
The victim pursued Sharpe, managing to grab the pocket of Sharpe’s hoodie. During the chase, Sharpe reportedly crashed through a plastic fence gate, falling to the ground. He then allegedly struck the victim and continued to run until the victim was unable to keep up.
The following day, May 7, deputies were called back to the Gotthard Pass Drive residence where the fence was damaged. The homeowner had discovered a magazine for a firearm in the yard on the front side of the gate. Further investigation on May 9 led to another call from the same homeowner, who reported finding a Ruger 9mm pistol while taking out the garbage from behind the damaged gate. Authorities later determined that the firearm had been reported stolen from a vehicle on April 9 of this year.
Detectives obtained video footage from the date of the incident, May 14, which allegedly showed Sharpe walking from the Gotthard Pass area to Seedorf Drive, where he entered a blue Mercedes Benz SUV driven by his mother.
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Sharpe’s parents were contacted and reportedly identified him in the video. His mother stated that Sharpe had called her requesting a pickup on Seedorf Drive and that she sensed something was wrong, though he did not disclose what had happened. Additional video evidence from Sharpe’s residence reportedly showed him exiting the vehicle shortly after law enforcement had passed the location during their initial response to the robbery.
During questioning by detectives, Sharpe allegedly admitted to taking the programming device and claimed to have sold it to an individual in Winter Garden.
On May 14, 2025, Dwaine Anthony Sharpe, Jr. was taken into custody. He has been charged with Robbery with a Firearm (a felony charge in Florida), Dealing in Stolen Property (a second-degree felony), and Violation of Probation from another county related to three separate cases from 2023.
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