It appears as if the sunglasses bandit has struck a second time in The Villages.
Dr. Paul Collins, of Eyesite of The Villages, said a man came into his business on Monday and walked out with six pairs of high-end Ray-Ban sunglasses. He said the man was white with red hair, approximately 25 years old and was wearing a gray baseball cap and a gold chain. Collins said his staff got a picture of the man’s license tag as he fled from the store, located adjacent to Brownwood at 2909 Traverse Trail in the Grand Traverse Plaza.
Collins, who practices with Dr. John Chiaramonti, said he believes the man was driving a stolen car and it may have been involved in a crash after the incident. He said he reported the theft to the Wildwood Police Department and provided officers with a surveillance video and audio footage of the incident.
On Monday, a similar incident took place at Clear View Optix, located at 8481 SE 165th Mulberry Ln. in The Villages. The owner of that business said a man had come in and asked him to repair a pair of glasses. But when he finished, the man and three pairs of Ray-Ban sunglasses – each valued at $169 – were missing, the owner said.
Eyesite of The Villages also was in the news in November 2018 when bandits smashed through the businesses’ front doors and those of the nearby Hair Cuttery. Video surveillance of that incident showed two men in dark clothing and the surveillance footage was turned over to Wildwood police.
