A 41-year-old Silver Springs man was arrested after breaking into an occupied motel room.
On Sunday, several Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived at the Silver River Inn Motel located at 5565 East Silver Springs Boulevard in reference to a reported burglary in progress.
Upon arriving in the area, the deputies were informed over dispatch that the suspect, later identified as Joseph Raymond Roberts, Jr., had left the motel and was detained in front of the Peaches Home Furnishings at NE 55th Avenue.
The deputies went to the motel and spoke with a male victim who advised that his door began rattling at around 7 a.m.
According to the MCSO report, the victim looked through the peephole and observed Roberts messing with the door’s lock. When the victim opened the door, Roberts pushed through and entered the room while holding a knife.
Roberts told the victim he was looking for “Jennifer” and that he was “supposed to get married today.” He then allegedly grabbed a jewelry box which belonged to the victim’s girlfriend, and the victim was able to snatch the jewelry box back.
The victim’s girlfriend was also in the motel room, and she told deputies that Roberts blocked them in the room for at least fifteen minutes. Eventually, Roberts turned and stepped outside of the room, which allowed the victim to slam the door shut.
The door would not latch, so the victim leaned against the door until Roberts left the motel and walked over to Peaches Home Furnishings. The victim then contacted law enforcement.
The deputies observed damage to the front door card reader and the keyhole cover was removed.
During the incident, the victim had recorded a video of Roberts on his cellphone. The deputies observed Roberts on the video as he entered the victim’s room.
Roberts refused to discuss the matter with deputies, but the MCSO report stated that he made an outburst about how he was looking for “Jennifer” and he mentioned that he was supposed to get married.
When the deputies searched Roberts, they located a red pocketknife that matched the knife described by the victim.
Roberts was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held on $15,500 bond.
He faces a felony charge for burglary and a court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.