VCSO: DeLeon Springs Man Breaks Into Woman's Home & Steals Over $60K In Items

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DeLeon Springs, FL - A 27-year-old man in DeLeon Springs, who was out on bond for a previous burglary charge, was arrested after Volusia County Sheriff's Office (VCSO) says he entered the bedroom of an 87-year-old woman while she slept and stole several items from her home. The woman reported that a man had entered her bedroom at her home on Audubon Ave. in DeLeon Springs at around 12:40 AM on Monday. The woman told deputies she woke up to use the restroom and saw the suspect run out through her bedroom door, according to VCSO. Several items were reported missing from the woman's home after the suspect fled, including more than $60,000 in savings bonds; a collection of coins; $400 in silver baby items like rattles, spoons, and bracelets; Princess Diana memorabilia; legal documents; and prescription medication. The legal documents included her will, her children’s social security cards, and birth certificates. VCSO's K-9 unit tracked the suspect's path to a wooded area near Chuck Lennon Park. Video surveillance of a nearby car-break revealed the suspect as 27-year-old Dillon Maurelis, of DeLeon Springs, and one deputy recognized him as a known burglar. Officials tracked Maurelis to a DeLeon Springs gas station. When deputies searched Maurelis, they found close to $700 cash in his wallet and a card for #1 Gold Buyers pawn shop. When a detective questioned the pawn shop, an employee reported that a man matching Maurelis’s description came to the store around closing time on Monday and asked for an appraisal for items that matched the description of the stolen items. According to VCSO, Maurelis's landlord says he is unemployed. Maurelis was taken into custody Monday afternoon and charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling, grand theft over $20,000, dealing in stolen property, and burglary of a conveyance. As of Tuesday morning, he was still held in the Volusia County Branch Jail on $115,000 bond. When deputies searched Maurelis's residence, they found over $70,000 in stolen property, including stolen firearms, from several different burglaries in the DeLeon Springs area. "It's just very wise for everyone to make sure your doors and your windows are locked," says Laura Williams, Public Information Officer for VCSO. "These kinds of crimes are crimes of opportunity. "

(Maurelis's mugshot courtesy Volusia County Jail)

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