Burglary Suspect Who Entered 87-Year-Old Woman's Bedroom As She Slept Is Recognized By Detective, Arrested

Date Added: April 10, 2018 11:50 am

Andrew Gant
Office of Public Affairs & Media Relations

BURGLARY SUSPECT WHO ENTERED 87-YEAR-OLD WOMAN’S BEDROOM AS SHE SLEPT IS RECOGNIZED BY DETECTIVE, ARRESTED

A burglary suspect who entered the bedroom of a sleeping 87-year-old DeLeon Springs woman on Monday was arrested after a Volusia County sheriff’s detective recognized him on video surveillance and tracked him down.

The suspect, 27-year-old Dillon Maurelis (DOB 7/16/1990) of DeLeon Springs, was arrested Monday afternoon, hours after the early-morning burglary of a home on Audubon Avenue where the victim saw someone in her bedroom around 12:40 a.m.

The victim told deputies she woke up to use the restroom and saw the suspect flee out of her bedroom door. She soon found several things missing: 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.

A responding K-9 unit tracked the suspect’s path to the woods near Chuck Lennon Park.

Deputies obtained video surveillance footage of a car-break attempt at a nearby home, and VCSO Detective Ben Gordon recognized the suspect as Maurelis, a known burglar who is out on bond on a previous burglary charge. Det. Gordon went to DeLeon Springs and found Maurelis at a gas station, where he was still wearing the same Nike Air Force One shoes seen on the suspect in the video footage. He was also wearing shorts, and had fresh cuts on his legs and blood on his T-shirt consistent with someone who just ran through the woods.

A search of Maurelis – who, according to his landlord, is unemployed, revealed close to $700 cash in his wallet and a card for #1 Gold Buyers. Det. Gordon went to the business and spoke to an employee who advised that a male matching Maurelis’ description came into the store around closing time Monday requesting an appraisal for the items reported stolen in the burglary.

Maurelis was charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling, grand theft over $20,000 and dealing in stolen property as well as burglary of a conveyance. He remained held Tuesday at the Volusia County Branch Jail on $115,000 bond.

***Update:***

Detectives obtained a search warrant for the defendant’s residence and subsequently located a large amount of stolen property from several different burglaries in the Deleon Springs area. More than $70,000 in stolen property was recovered due to the hard work of all who were involved in the investigation. The cases to be solved as a result of this investigation are:

18-7416: Car break at 5325 Audubon Ave.
18-7616: Car break with a stolen firearm at 410 Alcazar Ave.
18-8307: Residential burglary with stolen TV and pellet guns at 419 Cortez Ave.
18-8393: Attempted car break at 320 Wheeler St.
18-8393: Occupied residential burglary at 5060 Audubon Ave.

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