Suncoast: Juvenile Crime Spree Comes to an End – Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office
Francesco Abbruzzino, The Uncensored Report, LLC
CCSO
Three juveniles were arrested after a crime spree that included multiple grand thefts of automobiles, burglaries, and porch pirating.
On April 19, 2025, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office received multiple calls from individuals in various areas of the county reporting their vehicles had been broken into or packages had been stolen from their property. Three reported their vehicles had been stolen. Detectives believed the thefts and burglaries were committed by the same suspects and developed three persons of interest in the cases. All three juveniles, Gabrial Tolbert (01/17/2008), Qaadia Culbreath (01/10/2008), and Julio Tarango (02/07/2008) are facing felony charges.
On April 20, detectives learned that Tolbert and Culbreath were possibly in DeSoto County in one of the stolen vehicles. CCSO contacted DCSO, who located the vehicle in their jurisdiction. The vehicle fled from DeSoto County deputies, and was later seen in Charlotte County in Punta Gorda. The vehicle fled CCSO, and the suspects eventually ditched the car before running on foot into a large, wooded area. The vehicle was recovered and taken to CCSO impound to be processed. Another vehicle was stolen that evening in the that area, but was not recovered.
The next day, April 21, Charlotte County detectives were contacted by the Sarasota Police Department after they recovered the vehicle stolen from Punta Gorda at Tuttle Elementary School. Two juveniles, identified as Culbreath and Tolbert, fled the vehicle. Later in the shift, the two suspects, who had now been reported as missing out of Charlotte County, were stopped by Sarasota Police Department riding bicycles in the area of the recovered stolen vehicle and taken into custody for obstruction. CCSO detectives responded and spoke with the suspects. Culbreath provided a confession to the vehicle theft and fleeing from law enforcement, stating that his passenger in the vehicle was Tolbert.
Tarango is not believed to be involved in the vehicle thefts but is a suspect in the porch pirate case as well as one vehicle burglary in the area, along with Tolbert and Culbreath.
“I’m not sure what goes through the minds of juveniles who choose to do things like this, but it is definitely the wrong decision. Don’t hand me that ‘nothing for kids to do in Charlotte County’ garbage. This isn’t the behavior of bored kids, this is the behavior of individuals who do not respect the rule of law or other people’s property. Our community should have the peace of mind that their belongings are safe at their own homes, and we will work to make sure they have that.”
Sheriff Bill Prummell
Tarango is currently in custody with the Department of Juvenile Justice and both Culbreath and Tolbert are in custody at the Juvenile Assessment Center in Bradenton.