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Ocala
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Ocala woman arrested after breaking into vehicle, stealing over $1,500 worth of items

A 33-year-old woman was arrested after she broke into a locked vehicle and stole over $1,500 worth of items.

On Monday at around 12 p.m., a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a residence on SW 68th Terrace in Ocala in reference to a recent theft. A female victim had told MCSO that items were stolen from her vehicle, and she had also witnessed a potential drug exchange.

Upon arrival, the victim stated that she had witnessed a Chrysler 300 pull up to the residence, and she saw what appeared to be a hand-to-hand transaction between the vehicle’s driver and Candace Lorraine Williams.

Candace Lorraine Williams
Candace Lorraine Williams

Williams is a relative of the victim, and the victim believed that Williams had purchased drugs from the person in the Chrysler 300.

The victim also advised the deputy that her vehicle, a Toyota Corolla, had been locked, and there were numerous items that were now missing. According to the MCSO report, those missing items included: $192 in cash, several purses, a wallet, glasses, makeup, and several watches and earrings.

The license plate had also been removed from the victim’s vehicle. The approximate total value of the missing items was $1,560.

The deputy noted in the report that there were small scratches on the top right corner of the driver’s side door on the victim’s vehicle. The victim stated that those scratches were not there prior to the theft incident.

The deputy located and interviewed Williams. When the topic of the victim’s vehicle was brought up, Williams went to the south side of the residence and retrieved the missing license plate from underneath a rock.

Williams also brought a black plastic bag that contained all of the items that were missing from the victim’s vehicle. She told the deputy that she would also return the cash that had been taken from the vehicle.

The MCSO report indicated that the deputy received permission from Williams to search through her personal belongings due to the allegations that she had purchased drugs. During the search, the deputy located a white sheet of paper that was folded and sealed with the name “Candace” written on it. Inside the paper was a small Ziploc bag which contained a white powdery substance that field-tested positive for fentanyl.

A white and pink cloth zipper bag was also found near an air conditioning unit, and it contained six used hypodermic needles, a blue and green shoestring, and a round plastic container with a moist cotton ball inside. One of those needles and the cotton ball both field-tested positive for fentanyl.

Williams stated that she was unaware that she had purchased fentanyl since she believed it was heroin. She admitted that she entered the victim’s locked vehicle, though she refused to elaborate on how she gained entry.

While Williams admitted that the cloth bag and its contents belonged to her, she advised the deputy that she was diabetic and used the needles for insulin.

Williams was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where she is currently being held on $9,000 bond. She is facing felony charges for burglary, grand theft (over $750 but less than $5,000), and possession of a controlled substance.

A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.