PALATKA, Fla. – A 25-year-old Palatka man is facing charges of burglary and grand theft after a crime spree that ended early Saturday, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said.
Billie Ray Ayala was caught driving a stolen Chevrolet Camaro and was charged with one count of burglary of an occupied dwelling, two counts of burglary of unoccupied structures, three counts of burglary of conveyances, two counts of grand theft, two counts of petty theft and one count of grand theft auto, deputies said.
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Deputies said the investigation began when Pomona Park Fire Chief Melvin Asher reported that he returned home about 4:30 a.m. Saturday and realized his van had been burglarized and that his fire radio and several flashlights had been stolen.
Asher told deputies that he spotted Ayala walking away from the area carrying two bags. Asher said he did not recognize Ayala and confronted him on Main Street. Ayala told Asher that he had been dropped off and was trying to get home. Asher called the Sheriff's Office and watched as Ayala placed the bags on the ground and walked into a wooded area, deputies said.
Before a K-9 unit arrived to track Ayala, Deputy Bradley Waldron spotted a Chevrolet Camaro backing out of a nearby driveway. Waldron stopped the Camaro and noticed that the inside of the car had been ransacked. When he asked the driver, later determined to be Ayala, for his driver's license, Ayala told the deputy it was inside the bags that Asher had watched him lay on the ground.
Waldron took Ayala into custody, and he was then identified by Asher as the person who laid the bags on the ground and walked into the woods.
At about this same time, the owner of the Camaro called the Sheriff's Office to report the car stolen. Waldron determined that Ayala had burglarized the car owner's house while she was sleeping and took the car keys, medicine and sunglasses. Ayala was taken to the Putnam County Jail without incident and booked on the burglary and theft charges.
Later Saturday morning, Deputy Chad Hallman received a call of a burglary of a vehicle on Main Street in Pomona Park. Hallman determined that a Pomona Park coupled had packed their car on Friday night for a trip on Saturday and found the car and a shed burglarized. All of the property taken in the burglary had already been found inside the bags Ayala had been seen carrying, deputies said.
Hallman came to the Putnam County Jail and added on the charges for the third burglary.
The Camaro owner also contacted the deputies working the area and reported that a flashlight and sunglasses were found inside the stolen Camaro that did not belong to the car's owner. Deputy William Gill determined that the property belonged to a fourth Main Street victim who found their car and shed burglarized. Gill placed the additional charges of burglary of a structure, burglary of a conveyance and petit theft against Ayala.
All of the property stolen during these four incidents was recovered either inside of the stolen Camaro or in the bags Ayala dumped after Asher confronted him.
Ayala is being held in the Putnam County Jail in lieu of $13,044.00 bond.