A midday burglary call in Belleview turned into a short road trip, a church parking lot encounter, and a trail of discarded tools Tuesday morning.
According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched around 11:20 a.m. to a residence in the 7500 block of SE 110th Street Road after a homeowner reported a burglary in progress. The suspect, later identified as Tristan James Sabatino, had already fled by the time the first deputy arrived, but not before the homeowner snapped a photo of the vehicle used to leave the scene, a white Dodge Journey SUV.
The homeowner told deputies the suspect forced entry into the residence, left a rear door ajar, and broke into a locked shed. Both the home and shed had been rummaged through, with numerous tools missing.
Using the vehicle’s license plate, deputies quickly identified the registered owner and began searching the area. The SUV was soon located in the parking lot of a Presbyterian church on Silver Road in Ocala, adjacent to the registered owner’s residence.
Deputies observed a man matching the suspect’s description near the vehicle, tossing items into a dumpster before attempting to walk away when law enforcement approached. Investigators stopped the man, who claimed he worked at the church and was heading to visit a nearby friend. He was unable to provide an address for the friend, and church staff later told deputies he had not been working there that morning.
A search of the vehicle, conducted with the owner’s consent, revealed a checkbook belonging to the victim’s family and numerous tools that were later identified as stolen from the Belleview residence. Some items had already been discarded in the dumpster.
In total, deputies recovered thousands of dollars worth of tools, many belonging to the homeowner’s late brother, who had worked as a handyman and mechanic. The items were returned to the victim.
The suspect denied any involvement and could not explain how the victim’s property ended up in the vehicle. Deputies also noted inconsistencies between his statements and witness accounts.
Tristan James Sabatino was arrested and transported to the Marion County Jail. He faces felony charges including residential burglary, burglary of a structure, and grand theft. No bond was set.
