A Clermont man was arrested for reportedly following a van to an Ocala shopping complex, entering the vehicle, and stealing more than $12,000 in cash.
According to the arrest report, on Saturday, January 24, a male victim reported to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office that approximately $12,800 had been stolen from his van, which was parked at a retail complex on W Highway 40 in Ocala.
The victim told MCSO that he withdrew the money from a local bank before heading to the shopping complex, where his van was left open.
According to the report, video surveillance footage showed the victim’s van pulling into the parking lot. The victim was then seen exiting the vehicle and heading to a restaurant in the plaza.
According to the report, a red Honda Odyssey quickly entered the parking lot and backed into a position “just west of the victim’s vehicle.” A man suspect, later identified as 57-year-old Omar Rodolfo Rodriguez-Colorado, was spotted departing the Honda and allegedly crouched while approaching the passenger side of the victim’s vehicle.
According to the camera, Rodriguez-Colorado was seen entering the victim’s vehicle and emerging about 10 seconds later with “something in his hand.” According to the report, Rodriguez-Colorado quickly returned to the Honda and drove out of the parking lot.
An MCSO corporal stated in the report that the Honda’s Florida tag number led authorities to identify Rodriguez-Colorado as the suspect. Furthermore, video security footage from the day of the incident allegedly showed that the Honda was “seconds behind the victim” while driving on W Highway 40 immediately before the theft occurred.
On Tuesday, February 10, a corporal and a deputy responded to Rodriguez-Colorado’s Clermont home, where they discovered the same Honda in the driveway. Rodriguez-Colorado allegedly affirmed during an interview that he is “the only individual that drives the (Honda),” according to the article.
Rodriguez-Colorado also informed investigators that he “does not work in Marion County,” although he allegedly acknowledged to driving through Marion County on a “trip to Atlanta.” This caused MCSO to request a search warrant from a local judge for Rodriguez-Colorado’s cellular tower history.
One week later, MCSO investigators analyzed the search warrant results from Rodriguez-Colorado’s cellphone provider, revealing that he was in Marion County on the day of the theft. According to the report, he was in the neighborhood of the retail mall where the victim’s vehicle had been parked.
Rodriguez-Colorado was arrested and lodged into the Marion County Jail on Thursday, February 19. He remains in detention without release and faces the following charges: grand theft of merchandise worth at more than $10,000 and unarmed burglary of an unoccupied conveyance.
According to jail records, Rodriguez-Colorado’s court date has yet to be scheduled.
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