A Cape Coral juvenile has been arrested for grand theft of a motor vehicle, and tied to three other grand thefts ranging from September to December of this year.

The youth, 16, was taken into custody and transported to the Juvenile Assessment Center, and is charged with four counts of grand theft of a motor vehicle, a third-degree felony.

According to Cape Coral Police Department officials, officers responded to a reported car theft in Southeast Cape Coral on Sept. 30. Police said the victim’s 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe was missing from the driveway last seen after midnight, with the car unlocked and the keys inside. Police said the theft was linked to reckless driving reports earlier that morning in the Cape.

Police said they later connected the vehicle to the teen, whom they said has a history of prior arrests.

“On the same day the Santa Fe was stolen, a Property Crimes Detective recognized and observed (the teen) driving erratically in the Santa Fe,” CCPD officials said in a release. “(The teen) swerved to avoid a collision and proceeded to a parking lot off Santa Barbara Boulevard.”

The car was located shortly after by Fort Myers Police, where they found the teen passed out behind the wheel allegedly under the influence of alcohol, officials said.

FMPD arrested the teen and charged him with multiple offenses, including DUI, giving false information to law enforcement, and driving without a license. The stolen vehicle was towed and confirmed to be the same Santa Fe reported missing in Cape Coral.

CCPD officials stated that the teen also was connected with three other stolen vehicle cases.

Police said on Nov. 25, the teen stole a 2006 Ford Freestyle stolen from a driveway in Cape Coral. The vehicle was left unlocked with a hidden spare key.

On Nov. 30, police said the teen stole a 2025 red Mazda CX-90 from a Wawa in Cape Coral.

“The vehicle was left running and unattended,” officials state. “Surveillance footage showed a thin white male, later identified as (the teen), stealing the vehicle.

Police said on Dec. 1, the teen stole a 2018 Honda CR-V.

“The vehicle owner allowed their son to drive the car with permission,” CCPD stated. “The car was stolen from the son later that night. The car was later recovered, but items multiple items were stolen from inside the vehicle.”