A woman who was ordered by deputies to leave her ex-boyfriend’s Dunnellon home was arrested the following day after she allegedly returned to the residence and keyed three vehicles, causing over $12,000 in damages.
On Thursday, January 9, Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a home located on SW 187th Avenue in Dunnellon in reference to a criminal mischief incident.
The male victim told the deputies that at around 10 p.m. the previous night, his ex-girlfriend, identified as 35-year-old Crystal River resident Brittany Kellner, arrived at his home to argue about a child custody issue. After the victim called MCSO, law enforcement arrived on scene and told Kellner that she needed to leave the residence, according to the arrest report.
The victim advised that he heard a vehicle pull up to his home approximately 30 to 45 minutes after Kellner was ordered to leave by deputies. A relative of the victim informed him that a person appeared to be standing near one of his vehicles.
According to the victim’s statement, he saw a cellphone light emitting from the passenger side of his vehicle. When he stepped outside his residence, he allegedly saw Kellner walking toward her SUV, and he yelled, “What are you doing?”
The victim told the deputies that Kellner turned and looked directly at him before running toward her SUV. She then fled from the area, and the victim stated that he went back inside his home.
The following morning, the victim advised that he discovered that one of his vehicles had been “keyed,” meaning that it had been scratched with a blunt object. The report mentioned that a total of three vehicles at the incident location had sustained thousands of dollars’ worth of damage.
Specifically, the first vehicle had a “deep scratch roughly three feet long” on the back door and rear quarter panel on the passenger side, along with additional unspecified damage on the driver’s side. The estimated cost to fix the damage was $5,000.
The second vehicle had “multiple areas of damage,” including a foot-long scratch on the rear passenger quarter panel. The driver’s side door also had a “significant scratch with a shallow dent.” The repair cost was estimated at around $5,000.
The third vehicle also had “significant scratches,” including a large scratch on the driver’s side rear quarter panel that extended from the gas tank to the bumper. The damage to this vehicle was estimated at $2,000.
The report stated that several witnesses spoke with law enforcement and corroborated the victim’s statement.
A deputy investigating the incident spoke with Kellner over the phone, and she allegedly denied keying the vehicles. She then responded to the MCSO Dunnellon District Office for an in-person interview.
After being read her Miranda rights, Kellner admitted to traveling to the victim’s home at around 10 p.m. on Wednesday, January 8, in reference to a custody dispute. However, she claimed the altercation was “verbal only,” and she stated that she left when she was ordered to do so by deputies, according to the report.
During the post-Miranda interview, Kellner allegedly reiterated that she “has no reason to damage the victim’s vehicles,” and she claimed that the victim was “just trying to get her in trouble.”
MCSO investigators determined that the physical evidence at the scene corroborated the victim’s version of events. Kellner was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail.
Jail records show that Kellner was released on Friday, January 10. She is being charged with criminal mischief with property damage of over $1,000 (three counts).
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.