A quick-thinking witness who noted a vehicle’s license plate, helped law enforcement nab some suspicious people first spotted at Lake Miona Recreation Center.
Sumter County sheriff’s deputies were called to the recreation center at 11:07 a.m. Wednesday.
The woman was walking out of the pool building when she observed a man, looking through the front passenger side of a vehicle. She stated that he was slightly bent over with his face and hands against the window, as he realized the women were exiting the pool he entered the driver side of a black vehicle, which she described as a Jaguar. Deputies ran the tag and it came back to a black Jaguar rental car.
At 11:50 a.m., the sheriff’s office received another call and responded to the Oxford Post Office. Upon arrival deputies found a parked Buick with the front driver’s side window shattered. The victim advised she was not in the vehicle at the time of the incident but that her purse, described as a black bag with a black strap was missing. She advised the purse was taken from the front seat on the driver’s side and contained more than $400 in cash and gift cards.
A vehicle matching the description bearing the tag number from the first incident was spotted traveling along U.S. 301 toward the Florida Turnpike. Deputies initiated a traffic stop on the black Jaguar. A second witness was able to identify that vehicle as the one spotted at the Oxford Post Office and the front seat passenger as the individual who took the purse from the Buick. At the time of the traffic stop there were three other occupants in addition to the driver. Detectives were able to establish probable cause to arrest the following individuals:
• Latavious Shwon Ervin, 32, of Fort Lauderdale was arrested on charges of larceny, possess/receive/retain stolen credit/debit card.
• Jeffrey Bernard Rawls, 29, of Fort Lauderdale was arrested on charges of criminal mischief, burglary, possession of burglary tools, and grand theft.
• Demetrius Dion Starling, 28, of Orlando, was arrested on charges of criminal mischief, burglary, and grand theft.
• Kayla Marie Torres, 25,of Ocala, was arrested on a charge of larceny.
