| Probable cause affidavit: |
SUBMITTED By: CALLAHAN, CRAIG 0643 (AR13-6624) did unlawfully traffic in or endeavor to traffic in property that THE DEFENDANT knew or should have known was stolen, to-wit: FIVE HALF DOLLAR SILVER COINS, the property of THE VICTIM, MS MARTHA MORSE, in violation of Florida Statute 812.019(1); KNOWINGLY GAVE FALSE VERIFICATION OF OWNERSHIP OF FIVE HALF DOLLAR SILVER COINS AND WHO RECEIVED MONEY IN THE AMOUNT OF $15.00 FROM THE FAMILY PAWN AND JEWELRY PAWNBROKER FOR PROPERTY VALUED AT LESS THAN $300.00, IN VIOLATION OF: FLORIDA STATE STATUTE 539.001(8)(B)(8); ON 072213 VICTIM ONE, MS DANA VACCARO, REPORTED TO THE CITRUS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE (CCSO) THAT MULTIPLE ITEMS OF JEWELRY AND COINS HAD BEEN STOLEN FROM HER RESIDENCE. THE VICTIM ADVISED THAT PRIOR TO GOING ON VACATION FROM 060813 TO 061413, SHE ALLOWED HER DAUGHTERâS BOYFRIEND, IDENTIFIED AS THE DEFENDANT MR CHRISTOPHER STERLING, TO STAY AT HER HOME TO WATCH HER ANIMALS WHILE SHE AND HER ROOMMATE, VICTIM TWO MS MARTHA MORSE, WERE ON VACATION. THE VICTIM ADVISED THAT WHILE ON VACATION, SHE HAD BEEN CONTACTED BY THE DEFENDANT ON 071413 VIA TELEPHONE AND ADVISED HER THAT HIS MOTHER HAD A HEART ATTACK AND HE NEEDED TO LEAVE THE RESIDENCE. A SHORT TIME LATER, BOTH VICTIMS ARRIVED HOME, WHERE THEY DISCOVERED NUMEROUS ITEMS TO BE MISSING FROM THE RESIDENCE. THESE ITEMS INCLUDED THREE NECKLACES, DIAMOND EARRINGS AND APPROXIMATELY $200.00 IN UNITED STATES COINS. ON 072513 THIS DETECTIVE MADE CONTACT WITH VICTIM TWO, MS MARTHA MORSE, WHO ADVISED ME THAT IN ADDITION TO THE OTHER PROPERTY THAT HAD BEEN REPORTED STOLEN, SHE WAS ALSO MISSING BETWEEN THREE TO FIVE HALF DOLLAR COINS FROM HER SAFE. VICTIM MORSE STATED THAT WHILE ON VACATION, SHE HAD LEFT THE SAFE UNLOCKED UNDERNEATH HER BED. FURTHERMORE, SHE ADVISED THAT SHE KEPT THE COINS SEPARATE FROM OTHER COINS THAT SHE HAD COLLECTED BECAUSE; THEY WERE FAMILY HEIRLOOMS THAT HAD BEEN PASSED DOWN FROM HER DECEASED FATHER. A PAWN TRANSACTION QUERY WAS CONDUCTED ON THE DEFENDANT, WHICH REVEALED THAT HE HAD PAWNED FIVE HALF DOLLAR COINS TO THE FAMILY PAWN AND JEWELRY PAWNBROKER ON 070913 FOR $15.00 (TRANSACTION NUMBER 11042). DUE TO THE COINS MATCHING THE DESCRIPTION REPORTED BY VICTIM MORSE, I REQUESTED THAT SHE MEET ME AT THE FAMILY PAWN AND JEWELRY TO ATTEMPT TO IDENTIFY THE PROPERTY. ON 072513, I MET VICTIM MORSE AT FAMILY PAWN AND JEWELRY AND UPON OBSERVING THE COINS; SHE ADVISED ME THAT SHE COULD NOT BE CERTAIN THAT THE COINS BELONGED TO HER, DUE TO THE FACT THAT SHE COLLECTS MULTIPLE COINS. VICTIM MORSE STATED THAT SHE HAD JUST RECEIVED THE COINS THAT WERE STOLEN FROM HER SAFE APPROXIMATELY ONE MONTH AGO AND SHE WAS NOT VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE DESCRIPTIONS OTHER THAN THEM BEING HALF DOLLAR COINS. WHILE ON SCENE I OBSERVED THE PAWN TRANSACTION FORM, WHERE I OBSERVED THE DEFENDANTâS SIGNATURE AND A FINGERPRINT ON THE FORM, WHERE IT WAS REPRESENTED BY THE DEFENDANT THAT THE PROPERTY BELONGED TO HIM. I THEN MADE CONTACT WITH THE DEFENDANT, MR CHRISTOPHER STERLING, AT HIS RESIDENCE LOCATED AT 5610 SOUTH PENDANT POINT IN FLORAL CITY. PRIOR TO SPEAKING TO HIM, I READ HIM MIRANDA WARNING VIA A PREPRINTED CARD AND HE STATED THAT HE UNDERSTOOD HIS RIGHTS AND AGREED TO SPEAK TO ME. UPON EXPLAINING TO HIM THE FACTS OF THIS CASE, HE CONFESSED TO TAKING THE COINS AND PAWNING THEM AT THE FAMILY PAWN AND JEWELRY SHOP. I THEN ADVISED THE DEFENDANT HE WAS BEING PLACED UNDER ARREST. THE DEFENDANT WAS PLACED IN THE REAR SEAT OF MY PATROL VEHICLE AND TRANSPORTED TO THE CITRUS COUNTY DETENTION FACILITY (CCDF) FOR BOOKING AND PROCESSING. PRIOR TO TURNING HIM OVER TO DETENTION STAFF, I CONDUCTED A DIGITALLY RECORDED INTERVIEW WHERE HE WAS AGAIN READ HIS MIRANDA WARNING VIA PREPRINTED CARD, WHERE HE WAIVED HIS RIGHTS. THE DEFENDANT WAS ABLE TO DESCRIBE TO ME IN DEPTH THE SAFE AND WHERE IT WAS LOCATED IN THE RESIDENCE. THE DEFENDANT ADVISED THAT AFTER TAKING THE COINS FROM THE SAFE, HE IMMEDIATELY DROVE TO THE FAMILY PAWN AND JEWELRY SHOP, WHERE HE PAWNED ALL FIVE COINS FOR $15.00. THE DEFENDANT ADVISED THAT HE REPRESENTED THE PROPERTY AS BELONGING SOLELY TO HIM; HOWEVER, PROVIDED HIS FINGERPRINT AND SIGNATURE ON THE PAWN TRANSACTION FORM KNOWING THAT THE ITEMS WERE INDEED STOLEN. UPON CONCLUSION OF THE INTERVIEW THE DEFENDANT WAS TURNED OVER TO THE DETENTION STAFF, WHERE HIS TOTAL BOND WAS SET AT A TOTAL OF $10,000.00 PER THE BOND SCHEDULE. |
