A 43-year-old Wildwood man was arrested after stealing supplies from a construction site in Ocklawaha.
On Friday, December 10, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office responded to a construction site on Malauka Pass in Ocklawaha in reference to a reported theft.
The victim advised that a male suspect, later identified as Ovidiu Bumbu, entered a posted construction site on Thursday, December 9, and stole various supplies from inside a home that was being built.
According to the victim, Bumbu arrived during the evening in a dark colored Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck and took construction supplies from inside the home.
The victim was made aware of the theft at around 7 p.m., and the items were last seen on site by a design superintendent at 1 p.m. that afternoon.
The deputy was shown photographs from a camera situated across the street from the incident location. The deputy observed a white male between the ages of 40 and 50, nearly six feet tall, with brown hair, a dark colored tattoo on his right bicep, and tattoos on his leg.
The photographs showed the man loading numerous construction items into the pickup truck.
The victim stated that the following items were stolen: 14 pieces of primed wood casing measuring 16 feet each, three pieces of primed pine flat jamb measuring seven feet each, one primed door, and three sealed bags of rolling pocket door hardware.
The estimated value of the stolen items was $900.
On Tuesday, December 14, an MCSO deputy observed the Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck heading northbound on the 13500 block of Highway 25.
A traffic stop was conducted and Bumbu was identified as the driver. There was a female passenger in the truck, and the deputy showed her photographs from the construction theft.
The passenger positively identified Bumbu as the man in the photographs. She also told the deputy that the stolen items were currently located at Bumbu’s residence in Wildwood.
A K-9 deputy arrived on scene and detected the presence of narcotics during an open-air sniff test. A search of the vehicle revealed drug paraphernalia that tested positive for heroin.
A bag with roller pocket door hardware was also found on the floorboard behind the driver’s seat.
An MCSO detective arrived at Bumbu’s residence and got permission from a relative to search the house. During the search, the detective located the stolen items.
Bumbu refused to speak with the deputy. He was arrested, transported to Marion County Jail, and later released on $11,000 bond. He is facing felony charges for grand theft from a posted construction site and burglary along with a misdemeanor charge for possession of drug paraphernalia.
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.