Two men who delivered appliances to a newly constructed home in Ocala are facing a felony theft charge after they allegedly stole a refrigerator from the residence.

On Monday, August 12, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to the 8700 block of SW 133rd Lane Road in Ocala in reference to the theft of a Whirlpool refrigerator ($1,100 value) from a home in the area, according to the arrest report.

The company overseeing the construction of the home, referred to in the report as the victim, advised that two other appliances – a dishwasher and microwave – had been delivered on August 12. The dishwasher and microwave were still inside the home, though the refrigerator was missing.

The report stated that a nearby home had security cameras that captured the incident. An MCSO corporal responded to that residence and viewed the footage, which showed two employees of a delivery company dropping off the dishwasher and microwave at the incident location shortly after 7 a.m. on August 12.

The corporal noted that the two men were then observed on the footage reentering the home, and they allegedly had the stolen refrigerator in their possession when they exited the residence. Both men remained at the incident location for around 45 minutes before leaving the area.

The two delivery men were later identified as Julio Enrique Perez, 52, of Orlando and Pedro Antonio Beltran Aponte, 35 of Kissimmee.

According to the report, an investigation revealed that Beltran Aponte was the assigned delivery driver at the time of the theft.

On Wednesday, August 28, the sheriff’s office was informed by the delivery company that Beltran Aponte was traveling southbound in a box truck on Interstate 75. A traffic stop was conducted on the interstate, and the box truck had two occupants: Beltran Aponte (driver) and Perez (passenger).

After being read his Miranda rights, Perez allegedly admitted to investigators that he was with Beltran Aponte when the refrigerator was stolen on August 12. The report stated that he further admitted to being the one who moved the refrigerator out of the residence.

During a separate post-Miranda interview, Beltran Aponte allegedly admitted to being present at the home when the refrigerator was stolen, though he claimed that he was under the impression that the item needed to be “changed out,” according to the report.

An employee with the construction company informed MCSO investigators that “no appliances were scheduled to be removed from the incident location” on August 12.

Beltran Aponte and Perez were both arrested and transported to Marion County Jail, where they are currently being held on a $2,500 bond. They are being charged with larceny – grand theft over $300 but less than $5,000.

A court date has not been scheduled yet for Beltran Aponte or Perez, according to jail records.