'Mini Mr T ' arrested wearing over 50 stolen necklaces

A jewellery store at the Flamingo Island Flea Market on Bonita Beach Road, Bonita Springs, Florida, was burgled and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of jewellery was taken, according to Lee County Sheriff's Office reports. On Thursday, the store's owner, Ken Romano, arrived to the store just before 8 a.m. and noticed the glass display cases were open and jewellery was missing.

He contacted deputies and reported the theft. "He actually crawled through the rafters and snuck his way in like a little monkey," Romano said. A short time later, the sheriff's office received a call about a suspicious person at Luci Drive and Moriah Lane. When deputies arrived, they found Kenneth Rejendra Tannassee inside his vehicle at the end of Luci Drive. He was wearing 50-100 necklaces, tan shorts and no shirt.

"He looked like a 'mini Mr. T' at about 100 pounds," Romano said. Next to Tannassee, deputies spotted several white jewellery boxes. Some were open and had rings inside. Romano arrived to the scene and identified the jewellery as the jewellery stolen from his business.

"I've been at the flea market for three years and never had any issues and I just felt comfortable leaving out a few things," Romano explained. Tannassee was arrested and charged with unoccupied burglary and grand theft. After inventory, it was determined the jewellery stolen had a value of $400,329.