Palm Beach Post – by Julius Whigham II
A 19-year-old man has been identified as a suspect in an attempted burglary at a home Tuesday afternoon in suburban Delray Beach.
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies alleged that Jephte Madeus tried to break into a house in the 5100 block of Palm Ridge Boulevard, just west of South Military Trail and south of Woolbright Road. The alleged burglary attempt happened just after 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Madeus was armed with a stolen .380 Ruger semi-automatic handgun, sheriff’s office investigators said. A 15-year-old boy, and alleged accomplice to Madeus, was shot in the arm by a resident of the home.
Charges have not yet been filed against the 15-year-old, a sheriff’s spokesman said. The Palm Beach Post is not identifying him because he is a juvenile.
The arrest report does not list a current address for Madeus, who remained in the Palm Beach County Jail late Wednesday in lieu of $5,000 bail.
He is facing charges of attempted burglary and grand theft possessing a stolen firearm.
An Atlantic High School student, who was not identified, told investigators he was home when he heard a knock at the front door shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday. The student said he looked through the window and recognized a person who had previously threatened him at school.
That person left, but the student said he heard a noise at the rear of the home about 10 minutes later. Two unknown persons were trying to enter the home. The student told investigators he found his brother’s gun, a .380 revolver, and fired one shot through the door to scare the potential intruders off.
Several callers reported seeing a male with a bloody arm running away from the home. The wounded teen got into a black Nissan with three others and left the area.
A sheriff’s deputy spotted the suspects’ vehicle at Delray Medical Center about 15 minutes later. Madeus was seen running from the car, but he was eventually caught and detained.
While being questioned, Madeus told deputies he was friends with the intended burglary victim, but was having an issue with him over $500.
He admitted to having the handgun and throwing it out the window when they arrived at the hospital, the affidavit said.