Cape Coral teen charged in home invasion robbery
A Cape Coral teen is accused of forcing his way into a woman’s home and attempting to strangle her before she escaped.
Jordan Damon Velazques, 15, of 2065 Coral Point Drive, was arrested and charged Tuesday with one count of robbery residential home invasion with a weapon. He was later released to the juvenile detention center, according to the Lee County Jail booking records.
On Thursday, Cape Coral police responded to a report of a home invasion robbery in the 1700 block of Four Mile Cove Parkway. The victim reported that a man, who was not known to her, forced his way into her apartment and tried to strangle her. He also threatened her with a hammer he had.
The male reportedly told the woman that he had flown in from California to retrieve the $30,000 that her relative had stolen from him. She said the man forced her into a bathroom and tore a bedroom apart, searching for money.
Officials reported that the man identified himself as “Jordan” to the victim.
The woman told police that as the man was distracted, she ran out of the apartment to the office and called police. The man then fled, but not before he stole the woman’s cell phone.
Officers arrived and established a perimeter and the K-9 and Aviation Units were brought in. Attempts to locate the man were met with negative results, according to a police report. The woman declined medical attention on scene.
According to officials, a veteran detective noted that the description and name sounded like a person who he was familiar with, Velazques. The victim was given a photo array and she identified Velazques as the man.
Cape forensics technicians were able to lift patent prints from the items that the robber touched while ransacking the apartment and the fingerprints were reportedly a match for Velazques.
Velazques was taken into custody Tuesday as he was walked into the Lee County Courthouse in Fort Myers for an unrelated case, officials reported.
The teen nor his family could be reached for comment Wednesday.
Velazques has a court date set for March 8 for the home invasion charge.