A 51-year-old Marion County man is facing over a dozen charges after he allegedly sold numerous pieces of jewelry that were stolen from his girlfriend’s home.
The female victim told the Marion County Sheriff’s Office that the theft occurred on July 21. She advised that she left her home that afternoon at around 2 p.m., and when she returned later that evening, she discovered that several doors leading into the home were “partially open,” according to the arrest report.
The victim advised that she entered her bedroom and saw her jewelry box lying on the floor. The report stated that the victim soon realized that multiple necklaces and pendants were missing, along with a PlayStation 5 console and related accessories.
An MCSO corporal noted in the report that the victim’s boyfriend, identified as Alton Lewis Starker, had access to the victim’s home around the time of the theft, though he lived at a separate residence.
During the investigation, the corporal allegedly discovered that Starker had sold multiple items to two pawn shops in Ocala. The date of those transactions ranged from July 9 to July 26.
On August 21, the corporal made contact with an employee at one of the pawn shops who provided five original pawn tickets for separate transactions allegedly made by Starker. Those tickets showed that Starker had allegedly sold pieces of jewelry to the pawn shop on the following dates: July 9, July 11, July 18, July 24, and July 26.
The corporal then responded to another pawn shop and was provided an original pawn ticket from July 21, which showed that Starker had allegedly sold another piece of jewelry.
According to the report, the victim was shown photos of all the pieces of jewelry that had allegedly been sold by Starker to the two pawn shops, and she confirmed that all of the items belonged to her.
A warrant was issued for Starker’s arrest, and he was located and placed under arrest on Wednesday, September 10. He was booked into Marion County Jail, where he remains in custody, and his bond has been set at $65,000.
Starker is facing the following charges: grand theft (over $5,000 but less than $10,000), six counts of fraudulent entry in a record required for pawnbroking, and six counts of dealing in stolen property.
A court date for Starker has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.