A World Equestrian Center employee was arrested on a felony grand theft charge after the facility accused him of stealing more than $100,000 worth of tiles from its warehouse.
On Monday, October 7, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office corporal responded to the World Equestrian Center (WEC) in Ocala in reference to a theft investigation. A WEC supervisor told the corporal that approximately 75 jumper poles were “taken off the property” on Monday, September 30, according to the arrest report.
The supervisor stated that WEC conducted an internal investigation into the theft of the jumper poles, which allegedly revealed that the suspect – a worker identified in the report as 52-year-old Ocala resident Diego Suarez – was also suspected of stealing numerous boxes of tile from the warehouse six months ago.
According to the supervisor’s statement, he was at a relative’s home on Saturday, October 5, which was located near Suarez’s residence. The supervisor told the corporal that Suarez’s garage door was partially open, and “numerous boxes of tile matching those that were stolen from WEC” were observed “lean(ing) against the wall.”
The supervisor took a photo of the tiles found in Suarez’s garage, and the report stated that it “appeared to be the same tile and packaging as those in the warehouse at WEC.”
While investigating the theft on October 7, the corporal noted that Suarez was working on the premises. After being read his Miranda rights, Suarez stated that he had allowed another employee to take the jumper poles because they were “damaged and going to be thrown away.”
When the corporal inquired about the missing boxes of tiles, the report stated that Suarez initially denied stealing the tiles. However, he allegedly admitted during the post-Miranda interview that he had taken “approximately 2,000 square feet of tile,” which equated to around 200 boxes.
In the report, the corporal mentioned that Suarez further admitted to taking “a few boxes at a time” over a four-month period, and he allegedly intended on using the tiles to “redo the flooring” in his home.
During a search of Suarez’s garage, MCSO detectives found 200 boxes containing tiles, along with 27 boxes of baseboard, according to the report. The total value of the stolen tiles was estimated at $120,000.
Suarez was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail. He was released the following day after posting a $10,000 bond, and he is being charged with first-degree grand theft ($100,000 or more).
Jail records show that Suarez is scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, November 12.