A California woman was arrested for allegedly stealing a vehicle and fleeing the scene of a crash and later breaking into a Sugarmill Woods garage to steal tools, Citrus County Sheriff’s Office deputies said.
Authorities put 26-year-old Vanessa Guajardo at the county detention facility on Friday. The arrest report said she was charged with auto theft, failing to remain at a crash scene, burglarizing an occupied residence, and petit theft.
Fleeing Suspect
Officials booked Guajardo into jail on an $18,500 bond, arrest and court records showed. During the suspect’s first court appearance on Monday, the judge presiding the case kept the same conditions.
Deputies said they responded to a hit-and-run crash shortly after 6:00 p.m. on Friday near the intersection of South Suncoast Boulevard and West Ponce De Leon Boulevard in Homosassa. Motorists said the rear-end crash was caused by a Suzuki which quickly sped away.
Officials then searched through the area and found a matching vehicle that was damaged parked in front of a home in the 70 block of Lone Pine Street. They later discovered the car was stolen from Clearwater.
When questioned, the homeowner said there was a suspicious person inside their garage which turned out to be Guajardo. The suspect denied driving the Suzuki but knew that it was a stolen car. She was found in possession of a pair of Suzuki keys inside the garage.
A neighbor in the area said they saw Guajardo place several tools inside the garage onto the vehicle. The homeowner said his chainsaw, leaf blower, and weed eater were missing from the garage, which cost a total of $200. The stolen tools were later found inside the Suzuki.
When questioned once again, Guajardo admitted to driving the stolen Suzuki and stealing the homeowner’s garage tools. She is scheduled on June 4 for an arraignment, Chronicle Online reported.