A 34-year-old Bushnell man was arrested after he was accused of breaking into several homes in the Fairfield Village neighborhood in Ocala.
On Monday, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a residence in the 5900 block of SW 57th Street in reference to a residential burglary that was in progress. A man, later identified as Jeremy Frank Lockwitch, had allegedly entered the residence.
The man and woman who own the residence told the deputy that Lockwitch kicked in the front door and stood inside their living room. The victims stated that they told Lockwitch to leave the residence, and he attempted to walk past them to enter the master bedroom.
After repeated instructions to leave the home, the victims advised that Lockwitch left the residence, crossed the street, and kicked in the screen door at a second victim’s home.
Lockwitch entered the screened-in area and allegedly began to bang on a sliding glass door that led inside the home. He screamed for the homeowner to let him inside, and then he allegedly picked up a glass table that was nearby and began slamming it into the sliding glass door.
The MCSO report indicated that the sliding glass door did not break, but the glass from the table had shattered. Lockwitch then allegedly grabbed a plastic chair and began hitting the glass door with it.
When the deputy arrived at the second residence, Lockwitch was still inside the screened-in room. The deputy observed blood on his body and clothing from cuts that appeared to have been caused by the shattering glass. Blood was also spotted on the sliding glass door.
Lockwitch was detained in handcuffs, he was read his Miranda rights, and he told the deputy that he was “an idiot” who had “taken molly.” He was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail.
The victims at the first residence estimated the damages to their front door and door frame to be approximately $1,000. The victim at the second residence estimated that approximately $250 worth of damages were caused to the table and screen door.
The MCSO report indicated that a witness contacted the sheriff’s office to report that a third residence on the same street had also been broken into. The deputy responded to the residence and observed that the front door had been forced open. The damage to the door frame was estimated at just under $200.
The deputy spoke with the owner of the third residence over the telephone. The victim told the deputy that nothing appeared to be missing, but a chair had been moved from the kitchen area to the living room.
Since the case occurred on the same street as the other two residences that were broken into, the deputy interviewed Lockwitch at the jail. Lockwitch admitted that he went to the third residence, climbed over the fence, and kicked the door open.
Lockwitch told the deputy that he was unable to enter the bedroom because the door was locked. He admitted to moving a dining room chair into the living room, and he advised that he then exited the residence and walked to a neighboring home.
Lockwitch is currently being held at Marion County Jail on $42,500 bond, and he is facing felony charges for unarmed burglary of an occupied dwelling (two counts) and unarmed burglary of an unoccupied dwelling (one count). He is also being charged with two counts of criminal mischief (over $200 but less than $1,000) along with one count of criminal mischief ($200 or under).
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.