A Port St. John man with 28 prior felony convictions has been sentenced to life in prison after a jury found him guilty of armed car burglary and theft of a firearm, the State Attorney’s Office for the 18th Judicial Circuit announced.

Circuit Judge Curt Jacobus handed down the sentence to Wilford E. McCloud Jr., 43, on Wednesday, Sept. 10. McCloud was convicted in July for a 2022 truck break-in where a handgun was stolen.

Prosecutors successfully argued that his extensive criminal history qualified him for enhanced sentencing as a Habitual Offender and a Prison Releasee Reoffender.

The life sentence for armed car burglary is directly tied to McCloud’s long record of similar offenses. He also received a concurrent sentence of 6.2 years for grand theft.

This case is significant for North Brevard residents due to McCloud’s long history of property crimes in the area. According to law enforcement officials cited in the press release, local crime statistics have shown a noticeable decrease during periods when McCloud was incarcerated over the past 25 years.

“When you look at his history, this is all he’s ever done – menace every community he’s ever been in,” said Assistant State Attorney Jennifer Mostert, who prosecuted the case with Andrew Joy.

The conviction stems from an incident in the early morning of Feb. 22, 2022. Brevard County Sheriff’s deputies stopped McCloud on Grissom Parkway for riding a bicycle without a light. During the stop, deputies found him in possession of a black 9 mm Glock handgun.

The firearm matched the description of one reported stolen from a Ford pickup truck in a Port St. John driveway earlier that morning. Home security footage from the area showed McCloud checking car door handles before burglarizing the truck and riding away on the same purple Huffy women’s bicycle he was later found with.

McCloud’s criminal record includes numerous convictions for burglary, grand theft, grand theft of a motor vehicle, and two prior convictions for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.