A homeless man from Ocala is accused of breaking into and staying in a Silver Springs home he claims was given to him.
Austin Jake Waugh, 28, was charged April 28 with unarmed burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and grand theft of items valued between $300 and $5,000. He remains held in the Marion County Jail on $12,000 bond and awaits a June 1 appearance in Marion County Court.
Marion County sheriff’s deputies responded to a residence on SE 173rd Court, where the victim said a neighbor contacted him and said she saw a person she knows as “Austin” on the property. The victim said no one is currently living on the property and nobody should have been inside, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The neighbor told the deputies she saw a man named “Austin” – later confirmed to be Waugh – walk onto the property without a shirt. She said she lost sight of him as he went walked around the residence and then saw him a few minutes later walking away from the property. The victim said this time, Waugh was wearing a shirt and carrying a backpack he previously didn’t have, the report said.
The witness said she contacted another neighbor, who walked to the victim’s property and saw a broken window at the rear of the residence and contacted the victim to let him know about the intruder. A deputy saw a broken window leading to a bedroom with a towel draped over it and the victim found a black smartphone in the residence that didn’t belong to him, according to the report.
During the investigation, a deputy saw Waugh walking down the road towards the incident location while carrying an empty fish tank and a bucket filled with sand. The deputy asked Waugh if he had been inside the house and Waugh said yes and that the residence belonged to him. Waugh said the house was given to him but would not provide the name of a person who gave it to him. He said he broke the window to get inside, the report said.
The resident reported several jewelry items were missing, including a gold tennis bracelet valued at $500, a gold bangle bracelet valued at $100, and two silver rings valued at $500 each, bringing the total value of the items stolen to $1,600. The victim said he was at the residence the previous morning and the window was secure at that time, according to the report.
After being read his Miranda warning, Waugh again said the house was given to him but would not provide details. He denied taking any jewelry from inside but admitted the phone found in the residence belonged to him, the report said.
Waugh was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he maintained his story but continued to refuse to provide the name of the person who said he could have the house. Waugh said he stayed at the residence for about seven days and that he entered through the window, according to the report.
When asked if there had been anyone else inside the residence, Waugh said he had one friend inside the residence with him but refused to give a name. He again said he didn’t remove any jewelry from inside the residence, but he did take a bucket that he used to go and get sand to fill his fish tank, the report said.