A 36-year-old homeless woman is facing theft and burglary charges after she was accused of stealing wood from a construction site in Marion County.
On Sunday, July 16, the female victim contacted the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and advised that a barefoot woman with a blue shirt and black leggings, later identified as Jovon Marie Pittman, had been spotted walking in and out of the front door of a residence that is under construction, according to the arrest report.
The victim informed the sheriff’s office that surveillance cameras had been installed at the residence, which is located on Guava Trace Terrace in Ocklawaha, due to several prior thefts that had occurred. The MCSO report stated that a deputy soon arrived at the incident location and made contact with Pittman.
Pittman approached the deputy and initially stated that she did not enter the residence. The deputy noted in the report that Pittman then mentioned that she “only took wood from the junk pile,” which was located in front of the home.
Another deputy arrived on scene and detained Pittman in handcuffs. After being read her Miranda rights, Pittman admitted that she had entered the residence “to take wood in order to fix her homeless shack.” She stated that she did not find any wood inside the home, and she admitted that she took a piece of wood from the junk pile that was outside, according to the MCSO report.
An MCSO detective responded to the home and interviewed Pittman. The arrest report stated that Pittman showed the detective where she was standing inside the residence when she was looking for wood, and she proceeded to lead the detective into the garage and halfway inside the home.
Pittman was transported to the Ocklawaha district office, and she admitted during another interview that she had entered the residence a total of six times in the past 48 hours. Each time she stepped into the home, she advised that she was looking for wood for her shack. According to the MCSO report, she admitted to taking three 2x4s ($30 value), two triangular pieces of plywood ($20 value), and a red piece of wood ($10 value) from the property.
The victim spoke with a deputy and advised that the wood located in the junk pile outside the residence is used by her workers to construct the property. According to the victim, several prior thefts of wood have caused delays in building the home.
Pittman was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where she is currently being held on $2,500 bond. She is being charged with unarmed burglary of an unoccupied structure (felony) and second-degree petit theft (misdemeanor).
A court date has been scheduled at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, August 22, according to jail records.