Palmetto man arrested; denies burglarizing cars at Palmetto auto repair shop

PALMETTO -- A Palmetto man has been charged with burglarizing two vehicles at a repair business although he denies it, according to the Palmetto Police Department.

George Truewell, 42, was arrested at 12:09 p.m. Monday at his home and charged with two counts of burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. He told police he never left home Monday night and never burglarized Gonzalez Automobile Repair.

A video showed a man believed to be Truewell walk by Gonzalez Automobile Repair, 651 17th St. W., at 2:14 a.m. Tuesday. Two minutes later, police said Truewell entered the property and used a flash light to look into vehicles.

The man in the video smashed the left-rear window of a silver Chevrolet TrailBlazer with a screwdriver, according to the report, and takes an item from the vehicle setting it down out of camera view. He is also seen opening the door to a Saturn but not taking anything.

An officer who watched the video reported the suspect looked like Truewell but said he wasn't 100 percent sure. The Palmetto Police Criminal Investigation Division later identified Truewell, according to the report.

Truewell was held on bonds totaling $3,000.

This story was originally published November 24, 2015 at 9:19 PM with the headline "Palmetto man arrested; denies burglarizing cars at Palmetto auto repair shop ."