A husband and wife were arrested by police after allegedly burglarizing multiple cars in southwest Ocala and using stolen debit cards to purchase over $3,000 worth of items from the Paddock Mall and a local Walmart.
According to the Ocala Police Department, a victim reported on Thursday, November 28, that their vehicle had been burglarized after visiting Epic Theaters on SW College Road. Among the items stolen from the victim’s vehicle were cash, a driver’s license, several debit cards, and unspecified personal belongings.
Later that same day, which was Thanksgiving, another victim reported that their vehicle had been burglarized at the Cracker Barrel on SW College Road. The victim told officers that their debit card had been stolen.
OPD launched an investigation, which allegedly revealed that two suspects – later identified as 42-year-old Luis Omar Aquino Torres and 48-year-old Yecenia Ivette Vazquez Aquino – had been captured on surveillance footage using the stolen debit cards to purchase over $3,500 in merchandise at Walmart and the Paddock Mall.
In addition, OPD stated that additional car burglaries were reported on different days in the SW Ocala/State Road 200 area, including at the Gaitway Plaza, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Hollywood 16 Theaters.
Last week, OPD shared photos of the suspects in this case in the hopes that someone in the community recognized them.
“Thanks to the watchful eye of a tipster, we received information that the suspects were spotted at the 7-Eleven on SE Maricamp Rd. on Dec. 4,” stated OPD in a social media post.
Officers quickly responded to the 7-Eleven on Wednesday, December 4, and made contact with the two suspects, Aquino Torres and Vazquez Aquino. They were placed under arrest and transported to Marion County Jail.
Aquino Torres and Vazquez Aquino are currently being held at Marion County Jail, where they are facing a slew of charges that include multiple counts of unarmed burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, grand theft, criminal use of personal identification information, and fraudulent use of credit cards.
Both suspects are scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, according to jail records.