An Ocala man was arrested Thursday after allegedly pulling a knife during a confrontation with a man who caught him stealing a chainsaw from his sister’s shed.
Michael Adam Saucier, 44, was charged with burglary of an unoccupied structure while unarmed, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, battery (second or subsequent offense), and petit theft of an item valued at between $100 and $300.
The victim told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy he was at his sister’s home on NE 32nd Place to let her dog out when he saw Saucier walking through the back yard. He said he went outside and saw Saucier carrying a chainsaw and trying to leave the back yard through the gate. The victim said the chainsaw belongs to his sister, who keeps it in her unlocked shed, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim said he tried to confront Saucier, who fled on foot with the chainsaw. He said he chased Saucier into the neighbor’s yard, and Saucier dropped the chainsaw on the ground. The victim said he tried to confront Saucier a second time and Saucier punched him in the shoulder/chest area. He said he struck Saucier back with a closed fist in self-defense, the report said.
The victim said Saucier fled again and he continued to chase him into a wooded area, where Saucier took out a pocketknife, opened it so the blade was exposed, and threatened to stab him. The victim said he was in fear for his life, so he backed away. He said Saucier continued walking through the woods until being taken into custody by deputies, according to the report.
The deputy observed video from a Ring doorbell camera that showed Saucier running across the front yard of the residence holding an orange chainsaw in his right hand with the victim chasing him. Deputies recovered the chainsaw in the neighbor’s yard and the knife in the wooded area where Saucier was apprehended, the report said.
Saucier spontaneously told the deputies the residence belongs to his cousin’s friend and that he went to the location and into the shed to get a chainsaw so he could cut trees. He declined to say anything else after being read his Miranda rights, according to the report.
Saucier was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he’s being held on $10,000 bond. He’ll appear in Marion County Court on Jan. 28.