CHURCH CREEK, MD - The Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office has announced the arrest of a Florida man in connection to a large-scale commercial burglary investigation in Church Creek.
Police say they were first called to Gootee’s Marine on December 16, 2024 on reports of theft from a boat storage yard. Investigators say they arrived to find six outboard boat motors had been stolen from customer vessels. The motors were valued at over $187,000, with additional property damage bringing total estimated loss to over $212,000, according to police.
The ensuing investigation, involving multiple law enforcement organizations, eventually resulted in police identifying Jose Raxon Lopez Sangermes, 34, of Lake Worth, FL, as a suspect. Florida police then arrested Sangermes and held him in the Palm Beach County Detention Center.
On March 20, Dorchester County Sheriff’s Deputies travelled to West Palm Beach and extradited Sangermes back to Maryland. He is now being held at the Dorchester County Detention Center without bond, according to police. Sangermes has been charged with the following:
Felony Charges:
-Burglary – 2nd Degree
-Theft – $100,000+
-Motor Vehicle Theft (2 counts)
Misdemeanor Charges:
-Conspiracy to Commit 2nd Degree Burglary
-Conspiracy to Commit Theft – $100,000+
-Malicious Destruction of Property over $1,000 (6 counts)
-Conspiracy to Commit Malicious Destruction of Property over $1,000 (6 counts)
-Malicious Destruction of Property under $1,000
-Conspiracy to Commit Motor Vehicle Theft (2 counts)
The Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office says the investigation into the alleged thefts remains ongoing and ask anyone with information to contact police at 410-228-4141.