Back to the Rays Report

Roger Mooney

Roger Mooney covers the Tampa Bay Rays for The Tampa Tribune, TBO.com and News Channel 8. He has covered the Rays since their first season in 1998, including 11 years for the Bradenton Herald. Roger has also covered Florida, South Florida and Florida State football, the Bucs and the Lightning.

 @RMooneyTrib
 TBO_Rays
Send us your questions

More Links:

• Schedule/Results
• Player Stats
• Team Stats

Most Recent Entries

• Barrett, Medich win titles at Golden South
• Collect call: 2011-12 Panini Contenders hockey
• Bobby V calls out Rays coaches
• Rays @ BoSox: On Bobby V, Maddon and the organist
• Rays-Red Sox, Round II: Can Rays afford a beanball war?
• Robinson product Gibson advances to NCAA track finals
• Panini previews Gold Standard autographs
• UD unveils Military Machines inserts for 2012 Goodwin Champions set
• Rays @ BoSox: Guyer out for the season, Jennings close to returning and lineups
• USF softball: It’s game day
• Weekly Tampa Bay fishing report
• Rays at BoSox: Rivalry renewed
• Karen Cooley returns as Zephyrhills girls swimming coach
• USF beats Pitt, stays alive
• The Nerds head north

More

• Bucs Report -Tribune staff
• Rays Report - Roger Mooney
• Bolts Report - Erik Erlendsson
• Bulls Report
• Prep Report - Hillsborough
• Prep Report - Pasco
• Prep Report - Region
• Prep Report - Recruiting Updates
• Prep Report - Football
• Go Fishing: On The Waterfront
• The Sports Bookie - Bob D'Angelo
• Gators Report - Tribune staff
• Youth Sports Report
• NFL Draft Report
• Go Ask: Frank's Tacklebox
• Bucified Bert Blog
• BUK Power - Bucs Fan Blog
• Pigskin Preacher - NFL Fan Blog
• Breakfast Bonus - Tom McEwen
• Highlands Sports

Monthly Archives

• May 2012
• April 2012
• March 2012
• February 2012
• January 2012
• December 2011

Third arrest in spring training robbery of Rays trio

Posted Aug 15, 2011 by Roger Mooney

Updated Aug 15, 2011 at 04:25 PM

BOSTON A third person has been arrested in the burglary and grand theft March 26 of the Port Charlotte house rented during spring training by Evan Longoria, David Price and Reid Brignac.

Tavarious Marquiz Smith, 15, of North Port, was arrested this afternoon.

Here is the release from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office:

Tavarious Marquiz Smith, 15, 1932 Waltrip Street, North Port, surrendered to detectives around 3 p.m. after his mother brought him to the District-2 office in Port Charlotte. The others arrested last week were Steven Charles Vaughn, 22, 866 Chevy Chase St., Port Charlotte, and David Kimo Rufino, 19, 2770 Beeville Ave., North Port.

Smith was charged with felony Burglary and Grand Theft; booked into the Charlotte County Jail, and transferred to the Department of Juvenile Justice center in Ft. Myers.

Vaughn and Rufino were each charged with Armed Burglary, Grand Theft and Dealing in Stolen Property.

Rufino remains in custody on $100,000 bond. Vaughn remains in jail on no bond due to multiple prior felony convictions; he has nine bookings with 52 records.

The trio was involved in stealing $60,000 in electronics, watches, jewelry, an AK-47 and cash, while the baseball players were at a spring training game in the nearby Charlotte Sports Park stadium.

After the game, Evan Longoria arrived back at their rental home and discovered he and roommates Reid Brignac, and David Price, all had items stolen and contacted CCSO. A lengthy detectives’ investigation was completed with the arrests of all three in this case.

The suspects claimed to have taken a plastic container holding marijuana from the house, and an official with Major League Baseball said on Saturday that MLB was interested in talking with the detectives about that matter.

When asked by the Tampa Tribune on Monday if the detectives had been contacted by MLB, Robert Carpenter, the Police Information Officer sited the police report that stated: “… there were allegations made by some of the defendants concerning finding marijuana in the home and stealing it. No evidence has ever been found and there is no indication the residents of the home were aware of it.”