Package theft suspects caught

FLEEING DOG-TREAT PACKAGE THIEVES CAUGHT BY DEPUTY PATROLLING AREA A pair of package thieves wound up in handcuffs this weekend after they fled from a Volusia County sheriff’s deputy who caught them with a box of dog treats stolen from an 87-year-old woman’s porch in Daytona Beach. The dog treats weren’t all they had in the car. In addition to a Daytona Beach Police Department charge of burglary of an occupied residence, the VCSO charged 25-year-old Jennifer Lynn Steinman (DOB 2/4/1993) of Daytona Beach with possession of cocaine, methamphetamine, cocaine, psilocybin and drug paraphernalia. Her driver and boyfriend, 32-year-old Bryan Gibbons (DOB 4/7/1985) of Allison Park, Pa., was charged with fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement as well as possession of ammunition by a convicted felon – after the deputy discovered a pistol magazine containing 11 rounds in the center console of the car. The incident began around 4:34 p.m. Saturday, when Deputy Omar Bello was patrolling in the area of the 800 block of Peninsula Drive, Daytona Beach. Deputy Bello saw a black Nissan SUV driving erratically through the area and noticed there appeared to be an altercation happening in the car. He attempted a traffic stop, and the vehicle fled briefly before pulling over. Steinman got out of the vehicle with an Amazon.com package in her hands, claiming she picked it up from a friend’s house. The package’s real owner explained that she’d never met Steinman. The package contained about $6 in dog treats. A deputy who conducted an inventory search of the car discovered several plastic baggies containing heroin, methamphetamine residue and psilocybin mushrooms, as well as five syringes and a contact lens case containing powder cocaine. Both Gibbons and Steinman were transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail, where they were still in custody Monday morning. Steinman’s total bond was $10,000. In addition to his charges in Saturday’s incident, Gibbons was arrested on a warrant on charges of grand theft and uttering a forgery, and remained in custody on $5,000 bond.