Pahokee murder suspect arrested in Orlando, returns to Palm Beach County to face charges
PAHOKEE — Authorities have extradited a 25-year-old Pahokee man from Central Florida to face Palm Beach County charges in a February fatal shooting, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office reported.
Investigators say Sheldon Miles Jr. shot a 28-year-old man in the head, fatally wounding him, during an early-morning confrontation Feb. 4 on the 100 block of Carver Place, off South Lake Avenue in Pahokee. An arrest report did not disclose the deceased man's name.
According to a PBSO report, investigators tracked Miles to the residence of a family member who lives in Orlando. Law enforcement booked him into the county jail March 24 on charges of first-degree murder and discharging a firearm in public.
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Circuit Judge Maxine Cheesman ordered Miles held without bail the next day. Cheesman also appointed Miles a public defender. As a policy, the Palm Beach County Public Defender's Office does not comment on open cases.
A witness told investigators Miles and the shooting victim had argued on the evening prior to the shooting outside the Muck Tavern, a Pahokee restaurant near Lake Okeechobee that is less than a mile from the shooting scene.
One witness told investigators Miles made a threat during the argument, telling the other man, "You're going to die tonight." A second witness described hearing gunshots and seeing Miles run past them a short time later. The witness said they learned of his identity when a friend showed the witness his Instagram page.
License-plate reader helped deputies track man to Orlando
Further investigation linked Miles to a BMW that a license-plate reader detected at State Road 80 and State Road 715 about 30 minutes after the homicide, the report said. Deputies estimated it to be about a 25-minute drive from the homicide scene to the license-plate reader's location.
According to the arrest report, investigators tracked the BMW to Orlando and, with the assistance of Orlando police, began surveillance of the vehicle. Deputies obtained a warrant to seize and search the vehicle. During the search, a live round identical to a shell casing found at the homicide scene was located, PBSO said.
A cooperating witness also viewed a photo lineup and identified Miles as the shooter.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Man tracked to Orlando to face charges in Pahokee fatal shooting
