| Probable cause affidavit: |
SUBMITTED BY: STRICKLAND, DALE 0276 (AR14-8882) DID UNLAWFULLY AND KNOWINGLY OBTAIN, USE OR ENDEAVOR TO OBTAIN OR USE THE PROPERTY OF THE VICTIM, TO WIT: $400.00, OF THE VALUE OF THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($300.00) OR MORE, BUT LESS THAN FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($5,000.00), TO WIT: MISCELLANEOUS SCRAP METAL, WITH THE INTENT TO EITHER TEMPORARILY OR PERMANENTLY DEPRIVE THE VICTIM OF A RIGHT TO THE PROPERTY OR A BENEFIT THEREOF, OR DID APPROPRIATE THE SAID PROPERTY TO HIS OWN USE OR THE USE OF ANY PERSON NOT ENTITLED THERETO, IN VIOLATION OF FLORIDA STATUTES 812.014. ON 012814 THIS DETECTIVE WAS TRAVELING IN THE AREA OF HIGH ACRES STREET IN LECANTO, WHEN I OBSERVED TWO WHITE MALES WALKING OUT FROM BEHIND THE RESIDENCE AT 1479 WEST HIGH ACRES STREET. I THEN STOPPED THESE TWO MALES, WHO LATER IDENTIFIED AS DEFENDANT ONE, MR QUILLEN HOWARD, III, AND DEFENDANT TWO, MR KEITH ANDREW MCKENZIE. I ASKED THEM WHAT THEY WERE DOING, AND THEY ADVISED THAT THEY WERE OUT LOOKING FOR THEIR LOST DOG. I INFORMED BOTH DEFENDANTS THAT I HAD JUST SEEN THEM WALKING DOWN THE ROAD EARLIER, AND THAT THE DOG HAD BEEN WITH THEM AT THAT TIME. THE DEFENDANTS THEN STATED THAT, âYES, AND SHE JUST RAN OFF.â I TOOK THEIR NAMES AND INFORMATION AT THIS TIME. LATER IN THE DAY, I HEARD DISPATCH CALL OUT A BURGLARY AT 1479 WEST HIGH ACRES STREET. I REMEMBERED SEEING THE TWO DEFENDANTS COME OUT FROM BEHIND THE RESIDENCE AT THIS ADDRESS, AND FELT THAT THEY WERE INVOLVED IN THIS REPORTED BURGLARY. THIS DETECTIVE THEN ADVISED DISPATCH THAT I WAS GOING TO THE RESIDENCE TO ASSIST AT THE RESIDENCE IN THIS INVESTIGATION. WHILE EN ROUTE, I OBSERVED A WHITE IN COLOR TOYOTA PICKUP TRUCK NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF SOUTH LECANTO HIGHWAY AND WEST GROVER CLEVELAND BOULEVARD. THIS VEHICLE BELONGED TO DEFENDANT ONE, MR HOWARD, III. I THEN TURNED AROUND, POSITIONED MY AGENCY VEHICLE BEHIND THIS VEHICLE, AND INITIATED MY EMERGENCY LIGHTS AND CONDUCTED A TRAFFIC STOP ON SAID VEHICLE AT THE INTERSECTION OF SOUTH LECANTO HIGHWAY AND WEST EDUCATIONAL PATH. AS I APPROACHED THE VEHICLE, I OBSERVED QUITE A BIT OF SCRAP METAL IN THE BED OF THE TRUCK, AS WELL AS WHAT APPEARED TO BE APPROXIMATELY THIRTY POUNDS OF COPPER WIRE. I THEN ASKED THE TWO OCCUPANTS, IDENTIFIED AS DEFENDANT ONE AND DEFENDANT TWO, WHAT THEY WERE DOING WITH THE COPPER WIRE. THEY ADVISED THAT THEY WERE HEADED TO SCRAP THE METAL. I ASKED THEM IF THEY REMEMBERED OUR CONVERSATION EARLIER ON HIGH ACRES STREET, AND THEY ADVISED THAT THEY HAD NOT BEEN IN THAT AREA FOR AWHILE, BECAUSE THEY WERE BUSY TAKING A FRIEND TO THE PROBATION OFFICE. I INFORMED THEM THAT DISPATCH HAD REPORTED A BURGLARY CALL AT THE SAME RESIDENCE WHICH THEY HAD BEEN SEEN WALKING FROM EARLIER. DEFENDANT ONE AND DEFENDANT TWO ADVISED THAT THEY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS INCIDENT. THIS DETECTIVE THEN ASKED DEFENDANT MR HOWARD, III, OWNER OF THE VEHICLE, TO EXIT THE VEHICLE AND COME BACK AND SPEAK WITH ME. DEFENDANT ONE STATED THAT HE HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON. I THEN ASKED DEFENDANT TWO, MR MCKENZIE, TO EXIT THE VEHICLE. HE STATED THAT HE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH TAKING ANYTHING FROM THAT PROPERTY. I THEN ASKED DEFENDANT ONE, MR HOWARD, III, IF I COULD SEARCH HIS VEHICLE; TO WHICH HE ADVISED THAT I COULD. AS I CONDUCTED A SEARCH OF THE VEHICLE, I DISCOVERED ONE BOTTLE OF JACK DANIELS ALCOHOL, A GREEN IN COLOR FRYING PAN, A SIFTING SCREEN, AND A FISHING TACKLE BOX WHICH CONTAINED FISHING TACKLE. I THEN CONTACTED THE VICTIM, AND ASKED WHAT SPECIFIC ITEMS WERE MISSING. HE ADVISED THAT THERE WAS FISHING TACKLE AND CAMPING EQUIPMENT MISSING, AS WELL AS A BOAT TRAILER. THIS DETECTIVE REQUESTED THAT THE VICTIM RESPOND TO MY LOCATION, WHICH HE DID. THE VICTIM POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED THE GREEN FRYING PAN AND THE WHISK SCREEN AS HIS. THE VICTIM ADVISED THAT THIS HAD BEEN IN HIS CAMPING SUPPLIES IN THE SHED OF HIS PROPERTY. BOTHE DEFENDANTS WERE THEN ADVISED THAT THEY WERE BEING PLACED UNDER ARREST. THEY WERE EACH PLACED IN HANDCUFFS, DOUBLE LOCKED BEHIND THEIR BACKS, AND SECURED IN THE REAR OF DEPUTY CAREYâS PATROL VEHICLE. DEPUTY CAREY THEN TRANSPORTED THE DEFENDANTS TO THE CITRUS COUNTY DETENTION FACILITY. THIS DETECTIVE LATER RESPONDED TO THE CITRUS COUNTY DETENTION FACILITY, AFTER GOING TO THE SCENE AND ASSISTING WITH GATHERING INFORMATION. I FIRST MADE CONTACT WITH DEFENDANT ONE, MR HOWARD, III. MR HOWARD, III WAS READ HIS MIRANDA RIGHTS, VIA A PREPRINTED AGENCY ISSUED CARD, AND ASKED IF HE UNDERSTOOD HIS RIGHTS AND WISHED TO CONTINUE SPEAKING WITH ME. HE ADVISED THAT HE UNDERSTOOD HIS RIGHTS, AND WOULD CONTINUE TO SPEAK WITH ME. DEFENDANT MR HOWARD, III SUBSEQUENTLY CONFESSED TO GOING TO THE VICTIMâS RESIDENCE WITH DEFENDANT MR MCKENZIE AND REMOVING THE SCRAP METAL TRAILER, AS WELL OTHER SCRAP ITEMS IN HIS OWN NAME. HE ADVISED THAT THEY HAD TAKEN THEM TO INTERCOUNTY RECYCLING ON 012114 AND SELLING THEM FOR SCRAP METAL. DEFENDANT MR HOWARD, III WAS TRUTHFUL AND FORTHCOMING WITH HIS STATEMENTS AT THE TIME OF THE INTERVIEW. HE COMPLETED AND SIGNED A SWORN WRITTEN STATEMENT, WHICH WAS COLLECTED AND LATER SUBMITTED TO RECORDS. I THEN MADE CONTACT WITH DEFENDANT TWO, MR MCKENZIE, WHO WAS READ HIS MIRANDA RIGHTS, VIA A PREPRINTED AGENCY ISSUED CARD, AND ASKED IF HE UNDERSTOOD HIS RIGHTS AND WISHED TO CONTINUE SPEAKING WITH ME. HE ADVISED THAT HE UNDERSTOOD HIS RIGHTS, AND WOULD CONTINUE TO SPEAK WITH ME. DEFENDANT MR MCKENZIE ALSO ADMITTED TO REMOVING THE TRAILER AND VARIOUS ITEMS, AND TAKING THEM TO INTERCOUNTY RECYCLING. HE ADVISED THAT THEY HAD SCRAPPED THE ITEMS UNDER DEFENDANT ONEâS NAME. MR MCKENZIE WROTE AN APOLOGY LETTER TO THE VICTIM, WHICH WAS COLLECTED AND A COPY WAS SUBMITTED TO RECORDS. EACH DEFENDANT WAS CHARGED WITH ONE COUNT OF GRAND THEFT IN THE AMOUNT OF MORE THAN THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($300.00) BUT LESS THAN FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($5,000.00), WITH THEIR BOND SET AT $3,000.00, PER THE BOND SCHEDULE. THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OVER TO MR HOWARD, IIIâS PARENTS AT THE SCENE PER HIS REQUEST. |
