The Sebastian Police Department arrested two Okeechobee men on charges of loitering after they were looking into cars and hiding in bushes near Wendy’s in Sebastian.
On a Wednesday, around 1:30 p.m., a witness alerted the Sebastian Police about two identical twins looking into the windows of multiple vehicles.
As per the witness, one of the men peered into their driver’s side window as she was preparing to leave the parking lot. She noted that he shaded his eyes with his hands, almost touching her window, to better see inside her vehicle, according to the affidavit.
She also noticed another man, presumably the twin, hiding behind a nearby vehicle. Alarmed by the suspicious behavior, she informed the restaurant staff. Shortly after that, the men were lurking in the bushes.
On arrival, the police noticed the two men near St. Lucie Battery and Tire attempting to hide behind cars in the parking lot. The men were identified as Paul Eugene Walker and Joshua Michael Walker, both 34 years old.
Joshua Walker confessed to looking into parked cars and hiding from the police, explaining that he was trying to evade a police car he thought was tailing him.
Paul Walker also confessed to hiding from the police, citing he was a Habitual Traffic Violator and feared of being arrested for driving.
St. Lucie Battery and Tire supplied video evidence showing the two men loitering in their parking lot and trying to avoid law enforcement. According to police, the twins’ behavior wasn’t typical of law-abiding citizens and posed a reasonable public safety concern.
The affidavit detailed how their actions prompted citizens to call emergency services. Both suspects were actively trying to avoid detection by the police, and their explanations did not alleviate concerns about possible criminal activity.
Eventually, police escorted both men to the Indian River Jail, where their bail was set at $500 each.
