A 39-year-old man who was caught breaking into a vacant Ocala home says he was there to meet up with a woman to have sex at a “known hangout” spot.
On Thursday, April 11, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a vacant residence located on NE 35th Street in Ocala and made contact with the female homeowner/victim. She advised that unknown individuals had been going to the property, causing damage to both the interior and exterior, according to the arrest report.
The deputy installed motion-activated cameras inside the residence to catch any future intruders. A week later, on Friday, April 19, the cameras notified the deputy that a man wearing a backpack had entered through the back door of the residence, according to the report.
A deputy and K-9 partner soon arrived at the scene, and a male suspect was caught trying to exit the home. He was identified in the report as Joshua Fredrance Jockell.
Jockell was wearing gloves, and multiple pairs of pliers were found in his pockets. The report stated that a backpack was also found inside the home’s utility room, along with additional pliers, a drill, and an axe.
In the report, a deputy noted that all the wires were pulled out from a breaker box in the utility room. The victim’s air conditioning unit was also partially taken apart.
After being read his Miranda rights, Jockell claimed that he went into the residence to “have sex” with a woman who had allegedly given him permission to be inside the home. He told the deputy that the property was “a known hangout in the area,” according to the report.
During the post-Miranda interview, Jockell admitted that the backpack belonged to him, though he reiterated that he was only in the house to “have sex.” He further stated that his fingerprints would be found on the tools inside the utility room because he “picked everything up.”
The victim walked through the residence and advised that the breaker box and air conditioning unit were intact prior to the incident. The damage allegedly caused by Jockell was estimated at $2,000.
Jockell was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail, where he is currently being held on a $7,000 bond. He is being charged with unarmed burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, criminal mischief with $1,000 or more in damage, and possession of burglary tools with intent to use.
A court date has been scheduled at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 21, according to jail records.