DESTIN, Fla. — The combined efforts of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, Walton County Sheriff’s Office, and their K9 teams were too much for three suspects in a Destin cosmetics store heist who were reportedly found hiding in the woods after ditching their vehicle, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The trio allegedly took $8000 in merchandise from the Ulta cosmetics store on Emerald Coast Parkway, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) said.
OCSO deputies reportedly responded around 5:15 p.m. Sunday to a theft in progress call at the store. Witnesses say three individuals walked in with large bags and began filling them with perfumes and fragrances.
The three suspects then reportedly left without paying, taking off in a gray Honda, the OCSO said. Deputies pursued the vehicle along Highway 98 into Walton County, where the suspects allegedly ditched the car in a business parking lot and fled into nearby woods.
The OCSO said its K9 “Burt” located the first suspect, Diamond McCoy, 23, in a tree line hiding under bushes.
A WCSO K9 reportedly located the second suspect., Dontevious Hosley, inside a dumpster a short time later, and a third suspect, Mack Edwards, was soon captured as well, the OCSO said.
OCSO deputies said all three are Georgia residents, and each is charged with grand theft and resisting arrest without violence.
Hosley is also charged with fleeing and eluding, trafficking in fentanyl, and introducing a controlled substance into a secured facility, the OCSO said.
