A license plate reader helped notify deputies of a vehicle that was stolen last month traveling in Golden Gate Estates on Monday leading to the arrest of the 22-year-old driver.
Xavier Malachi Gray is charged with grand theft auto and driving without a license.
Around 4 p.m. Monday a license plate reader notified deputies of a stolen vehicle traveling north on Collier Boulevard. The white Jeep Compass had been reported stolen out of Golden Gate on Oct. 28.
A deputy patrolling the area of Tree Farm Road and Collier Boulevard spotted the stolen Jeep pass by heading north on Collier Boulevard toward Immokalee Road.
The deputy followed the vehicle as it made a right turn into the entrance to the Tuscany Cove community where he conducted a traffic stop and awaited the arrival of additional units.
Deputies ordered Gray and his four passengers out of the vehicle. Further investigation by deputies found that Gray did not have a valid driver’s license. Gray was placed under arrest and his four passengers were released from the scene after making verbal statements to detectives.
Gray is a convicted felon whose prior criminal history includes an arrest last year for grand theft auto. In January 2019 he was arrested and later convicted of stealing a vehicle from the Summer Winds apartment complex in North Naples.
