Palm Coast, FL - A man released from the Flagler County Jail after being there for seven weeks on one burglary charge is back inside on a different one. Thirty-year-old Joseph Lacertosa, who admitted in a police report that he has a narcotic addiction, is now charged with a smash-and-grab at Anthony's East Coast Pizza on April 28, 2020.
Investigators used surveillance video to identify Lacertosa as the suspect. He was also a previous employee of the restaurant. The restaurant manager was asked if he knew of any possible suspects. Lacertosa, who'd been fired in February because of his addiction, was the only one that came to his mind. The manager told detectives that an employee saw Lacertosa driving behind the business just two days earlier.
Video footage from the FCSO Crime Center in the area of the business showed Lacertosa's vehicle traveling in the vicinity. Investigators made contact with a neighbor of Lacertosa's to view video footage and saw his vehicle leaving about an hour before the video from near the business.
Lacertosa got out of jail on July 1, 2020. On July 14, a warrant was signed for his arrest on the charges of Commercial Burglary During a State of Emergency, Criminal Mischief, and Petit Theft. He was arrested at his home and is being held on a $37,500 bond.
