A 60-year-old Ocala man was arrested after he entered a neighbor’s home and stole approximately $2,500 worth of electronic devices.
On Sunday, a corporal and deputy with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office both responded to a SW 63rd Street residence in Ocala in reference to a burglary.
Upon arrival, the deputy spoke with a female victim who advised that an unknown person had broken into her home while she was away.
The victim had visited a relative earlier in the day between 5 p.m. and 7:20 p.m. When the victim returned home, she noticed that the front door was unlocked.
After walking through her home, the victim realized that the following items were missing: an iPad Pro tablet (valued at $1,599), a laptop (valued at $800), and a DVD player (valued at $100).
The victim was able to track the iPad tablet with an application on her cellphone, and it appeared to be located at her neighbor’s residence. The owner of the neighboring residence asked that the corporal and deputy return the following day.
On Monday, the corporal and deputy returned to the neighbor’s residence and observed a man, later identified as Julio Enrique Morales Quintanilla, walking toward a travel trailer that was located on the corner of the property.
The owner of the residence gave the corporal and deputy permission to search the property which included the trailer that Quintanilla had approached.
According to the MCSO report, the victim’s cellphone application still showed that the iPad tablet was located at the neighbor’s residence.
Since Quintanilla did not speak English, the owner of the residence informed Quintanilla that the corporal and deputy would be conducting a search of the trailer. Quintanilla agreed to the search and stated that nothing would be found inside.
During the search of the trailer, the iPad tablet, laptop, and DVD player were located underneath a bed. The stolen items were wrapped in clothing.
Quintanilla was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail. Through an interpreter, he admitted that he entered the victim’s residence through the front door, stole the items, wrapped them in his clothing, and placed the items underneath his bed.
Quintanilla is currently being held on $12,000 bond and he is facing felony charges for burglary and grand theft of less than $5,000.
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.