Ocklawaha, Florida — An Ocklawaha woman was arrested and charged with five felonies after she broke into a home by crawling through a doggy door.
Deputies responded to a residence on Cedar Tree Drive in Ocala after the homeowner was awakened by his video security system at approximately 3 a.m to find that his home had been burglarized and one of his vehicles had been stolen.
According to an arrest affidavit, the video showed that the suspect, Amanda Carmella Kerr, 31, had entered the victim’s white Dodge and quickly rummaged through it.
Kerr then went through a gate and to the back of the residence where she gained entry to the home through a doggy door.
Once inside, Kerr helped herself to a bottle of coke from the refrigerator, a label maker, and two sets of keys that were hanging on a key holder as she exited through the front door of the residence.
Kerr then drove away in the victim’s red SUV, which belonged to his daughter. The SUV was later spotted traveling westbound on Highway 484 near I-75.
A deputy initiated a felony traffic stop, however, Kerr ignored the lights and sirens and took off. The deputy performed a PIT maneuver on the vehicle and ended the short chase.
Kerr told deputies that she had permission to take the vehicle and was “house-sitting.” She stated that no one was at the residence when she entered through the doggy door.
When Kerr was presented with the video footage, she changed her story and confessed. She admitted to climbing through the doggy door, taking the coke from the refrigerator, rummaging through the victim’s toolboxes in the garage, and stealing the SUV. However, Kerr maintained that she had permission to be at the residence.
Upon further investigation, deputies found that Kerr was in possession of a wallet that belonged to the victim’s daughter. The wallet contained $240.00 in cash and several bank/credit cards.
Deputies also discovered that Kerr had a suspended driver’s license.
Kerr was charged with Burglary of an Occupied Dwelling, Burglary of an Unoccupied Conveyance (x2), Grand Theft Auto, Fleeing and Eluding, Petit Theft (x2), and Driving with a Suspended License.
Kerr has previous arrests for DUI, Reckless Driving, Retail Theft, and Driving on a Suspended License for DUI.
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