A 37-year-old man claiming to be a time traveler was arrested after he told Ocala police that he threw a brick through a home window to save the occupants from a future event.
On Saturday, May 13, an Ocala Police Department officer responded to a local residence in reference to a possible burglary. Upon arrival, the officer made contact with the victims who owned the home, according to the arrest report.
The victims told the officer that a loud crash woke them up, and they heard their baby crying. When they checked on their baby, they observed that a bassinet filled with stuffed animals was on the ground and the window was smashed. They advised that a large brick was also found on the floor, according to the OPD report.
In addition, the victims stated that they found a book outside their home, near the front door, and it did not belong to them.
The officer walked around the perimeter of the victims’ home and noted in the report that the gate to the backyard was open. The officer observed the broken window, and the window screen was found on the ground. The back door to the victims’ pool was also open.
The victims informed the officer that prior to the incident, the gate was secure and the screen was on the window.
Several officers canvassed the neighborhood in an attempt to locate a nearby security camera, and a residence was observed that had an open front door. The officers made contact with one of the home’s occupants who identified himself as Daniel Robert Dinkins.
According to the OPD report, the officers told Dinkins that they were in the neighborhood investigating a burglary that had occurred down the road. Dinkins spontaneously told the officers, “That may have been me.” He further informed the officers that he had gone swimming at the victims’ home and “threw a brick through the window.”
After being read his Miranda rights, Dinkins admitted that he broke into the victims’ residence to go swimming in their pool, and he left a book on the front door because he “wanted to share the book with them,” according to the OPD report.
Dinkins further admitted that he had grabbed a brick and used it to break the window. The OPD report stated that Dinkins told investigators that he was a “time traveler” and “needed to save (the victims) from an event that is going to occur in the future.”
During the post-Miranda interview, Dinkins advised that he was unaware that a baby was inside the room when he broke the window. He also told investigators that he was trying to “save the baby from something way in the future when the child is much older,” according to the OPD report.
Dinkins was arrested, transported to Marion County Jail, and he was released the same day on $15,000 bond. He is facing a felony charge for burglary of an occupied dwelling.
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.