A 53-year-old Dunnellon man with multiple prior theft convictions was arrested last week after a local homeowner accused him of stealing two trail cameras.

On Friday, November 7, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a residence located on SW 151st Place in Dunnellon in reference to a theft incident. The homeowner/victim advised that they had purchased the home from a man, identified as Richard Tamargo, a couple months earlier, according to the arrest report.

The victim told the deputy that Tamargo has since returned to the home on several occasions to “steal items.” Most recently, the victim advised that at around 4:30 a.m. on November 7, Tamargo and a woman – later identified as Tamargo’s wife – were allegedly observed “going through the [victim’s] dumpster” and stealing “multiple items.”

The report stated that the victim also believed that Tamargo had stolen two trail cameras from the victim’s property because Tamargo had allegedly been captured walking toward both cameras shortly before the devices lost connection.

According to the report, the deputy viewed video footage of the incident and positively identified Tamargo as the male suspect in this case due to “multiple prior dealings” with him.

A criminal history search of Tamargo revealed that he was convicted of two counts of grand theft in Hillsborough County in 1992. In addition, he was convicted of petit theft in Hillsborough County in 2008.

The deputy responded to an Ocala motel, where Tamargo was located. When the deputy arrived, Tamargo was allegedly observed loading items into a car.

After being read his Miranda rights, Tamargo allegedly admitted to taking items from the victim’s property because he was “owed money.” He also told the deputy that he had taken the trail cameras from the victim’s property, and the devices were recovered from Tamargo’s motel room, according to the report.

Tamargo was placed under arrest and booked into Marion County Jail, where he remains in custody. His bond has been set at $7,500, and he is being charged with trespassing and second-degree petit theft (third or subsequent offense).

Jail records show that Tamargo is scheduled to appear in court at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, November 19.