In Hillsborough County, Florida, a 26‑year‑old man now faces several criminal charges after deputies traced a stolen car and discovered him hiding in a backyard on Saturday morning.
The trouble started around 8 a.m. on October 10, 2026, when Zachary Brooks slipped into an occupied home on Alafia Hills Drive, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators say he pocketed the house keys and drove away in a vehicle parked on the property.
Moments later, Brooks rolled into a gas station on Paul Buchman Highway. While there, deputies observed him reach through the exterior sales window, snatch a vape, and speed off.
Road patrol units soon spotted the stolen car near the Jerry Smith and Trapnell Roads intersection. Deputies called in the agency’s Aviation Unit, which monitored the car from the sky and relayed real‑time updates to ground units as it headed toward East Trapnell Road.
When the vehicle finally halted on East Trapnell Road, Brooks jumped out and fled on foot into a nearby neighborhood. Deputies quickly encircled the area and apprehended him on the back pool deck of a nearby residence.
Brooks was booked on multiple counts, including grand theft of a motor vehicle and petit theft with a prior conviction.
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