A 60-year-old Ocala man accused of entering a woman’s unlocked car in Silver Springs was arrested after the woman’s boyfriend confronted him while armed with a gun.
On Wednesday, November 26, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office corporal responded to a residence located on E Fort King Street in reference to a stolen vehicle. A male witness advised that he had walked outside and observed that the dome light was on inside his girlfriend’s car, according to the arrest report.
The witness further stated that he saw a man, later identified as James Edward Small, inside the vehicle. In response, the witness told the corporal that he went inside the residence, retrieved a firearm, and approached the vehicle, where he confronted Small.
The girlfriend of the witness, referred to in the report as the victim, called 911. The witness waited with Small until law enforcement arrived on-scene.
According to the witness, the car had been moved from where it was previously parked. In addition, the vehicle had sustained front-end damage, which the witness alleged had been caused by Small “running into something.”
The report stated that the damage to the vehicle was estimated at $3,000.
The victim told the corporal that her keys had been left inside the vehicle the previous night, according to the report.
The corporal made contact with Small. After being read his Miranda rights, Small allegedly stated that he entered the victim’s car because he was cold, and he spotted the keys inside the vehicle.
Small allegedly stated during the post-Miranda interview that he intended on driving the victim’s car to a local store, but he “hit a tree stump with the front of the vehicle” and was unable to leave the incident location.
The corporal placed Small under arrest and transported him to Marion County Jail, where he remains in custody. His bond has been set at $2,000, and he is being charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle.
Jail records show that Small is scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, December 30.