Two Ocala men were arrested on burglary and grand theft charges after they allegedly broke into a vacant home owned by Marion County and stole $1,000 worth of appliances.
Early in the morning on Thursday, January 9, Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a home located in the 4800 block of SW 112th Street in Ocala in reference to a suspicious vehicle that was parked outside. According to the arrest report, the residence had been recently purchased by Marion County, along with other properties in the area, due to the proposed widening of SW 49th Avenue.
At around 3:50 a.m., deputies arrived on scene and observed an open door at the rear of the home. The report stated that the deputies observed two men – later identified as 53-year-old Michael Tyrone Brown and 53-year-old Bernard Shaw – inside the property.
Brown and Shaw allegedly attempted to flee from deputies as they ran into a nearby wooded lot. They were quickly apprehended by the deputies.
One of the deputies noted in the report that the home was mostly empty inside, though it did have several appliances including an above-stove microwave, stainless steel refrigerator, cooking range, and water heater.
During a search of the home, the deputy observed that the back door was open, and a screen had been removed from a nearby window. Inside the residence, the deputy saw that the cooking range, microwave, and refrigerator had been removed from their normal locations and placed in the center of the kitchen, according to the report.
Additionally, the deputy noted that the water heater had been cut from the wall and placed in another room, next to a screwdriver that appeared to have been used by the two burglary suspects.
After being read his Miranda rights, Shaw allegedly admitted to entering the vacant home without permission. He told investigators that he “needed new appliances” for a property he is in the process of remodeling.
During a separate post-Miranda interview, Brown corroborated Shaw’s statement. He further claimed that Shaw had asked for help with “picking up the appliances” from the incident location, which they believed was abandoned.
Brown and Shaw were both placed under arrest and transported to Marion County Jail.
Upon arrival at the jail, a deputy allegedly discovered a small package on the ground near Brown’s foot while he was removing his socks. The package contained a white powdery substance that weighed 7.5 grams and field-tested positive for methamphetamine, according to the report.
Brown was booked into Marion County Jail, where he is currently being held without bond. He is facing the following charges: unarmed burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, grand theft (over $750 but less than $5,000), possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, introduction of contraband into a county detention facility, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Shaw was also booked into Marion County Jail, and he was released the following day after posting an unspecified bond amount. He is being charged with unarmed burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and grand theft (over $750 but under $5,000).
A court date for Brown and Shaw has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.