Man wanted in Texas armed jewelry store heist arrested in Palm Coast

Palm Coast Observer
News

A man who is accused of stealing over $1 million of cash and jewelry from a jewelry store in Houston, Texas was arrested in Palm Coast on March 12.

Asdrubal Rodriguez was arrested by Flagler County Sheriff's Office's deputies and charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon from a Houston warrant and for driving without a license from FCSO's arrest. Rodriguez was discovered when his Chevrolet Tahoe was flagged by the FCSO's Real Time Crime Center as tied to suspects in the Houston robbery, a FCSO press release said.

The cash and jewelry found in suspect Asdrubal Rodriguez's vehicle. Courtesy of FCSO

Multiple FCSO deputies pulled the Tahoe over in the 1000 block of Palm Coast Parkway northwest and two hispanic men were detained without incident. The men were identified as Rodriquez and his passenger, Adrian Brook, the press release said.

Rodriguez admitted to not having a United States driver's license nor a license from his home country of Cuba. Using rapid-ID technology, FCSO deputies confirmed Rodriguez's identity and began working with detectives in Houston.

FCSO deputies searched the Tahoe and found approximately $79,000 in cash and gold jewelry, all taken from the robbery, the press release said.

Rodriguez later confessed to robbing the jewelry store, as well as pistol-whipping and spraying the victims with pepper spray during the robbery.

The FCSO contacted ICE for both men, and arrested Rodriguez for driving without a license. He is being held at the Flagler County jail with an ICE detainer, the press release said, under no bond.