BY DAN HILDEBRAN
The Bradford County Sheriff’s Office said it arrested a man in connection with a series of car burglaries throughout the City of Starke after tracking him to a North Temple Avenue motel and executing a search warrant of his room.
Deputies arrested Renard Hudson, 49, of Starke, on March 20 for seven burglaries and thefts between February 19 and March 16.
According to court papers, one break in the case appeared to occur after a March 15 Glendale Street burglary, in which the victim told deputies he heard a dog barking between midnight and 1 a.m.
The victim told deputies he did not investigate the disturbance, but later that morning, he discovered that his car had been burglarized. A phone mount, a charging cable, his vehicle registration, and an FM transmitter were missing.
Couldn’t remember all the vehicles he broke into
Detective Logan Hough wrote in an arrest report that he obtained video surveillance from the Bradford County Courthouse complex, one block from the victim’s residence. Around the time the victim recalled hearing the barking dog, Hough discovered video of a black male wearing a red t-shirt and pants walking from America’s Best Value Inn between the courthouse and the courthouse annex.
“At 11:35 p.m.,” wrote Hough, “the subject can be seen walking to the parking lot just west of G’s BBQ. The subject walks around the vehicles there and attempts to open doors.” Hough added that the subject was recorded walking toward Glendale Street at 11:37 p.m. and back toward the motel at 12:32 a.m.
The detective reported that when he questioned Hudson about the Glendale Street break-in, “he stated he couldn’t remember all the vehicles he broke into.”
The sheriff’s office also accused the 49-year-old of six other car burglaries.
St. Clair Street
On February 19, a St. Clair Street resident discovered a black male inside his car with the door shut. The victim told deputies that the intruder told him he didn’t steal anything and added that he was running from the police. After the defendant left the property, walking westbound, the victim’s wife said her wallet was missing from the center console of her car. Deputies canvassed the area but could not locate the defendant.
Andrews Street
On February 24, an employee of a transportation service reported that one of the organization’s two buses parked on Andrews Street had been burglarized.
Hough wrote in an arrest report that the bus’s back door appeared to have been pried open and that one of the organization’s tablets was missing. During a search of the defendant’s motel room, a prescription drug bottle belonging to the employee was found in the room.
Pratt Street
On March 12, a Pratt Street woman told deputies she checked her bank account before purchasing iced coffee and noticed two unauthorized transactions at a Starke Circle K that had occurred that morning. She then checked her vehicle and discovered that her purse had been stolen. Deputies later recovered video from the store at Brownlee Street (State Road 16) and North Temple Avenue (U.S. 301) and later identified the defendant as the man using the victim’s bank card.
Church Street
On March 13, a South Church Street resident told deputies that a battery pack used to start her car was missing from the back seat. According to an arrest report, the defendant admitted to breaking into the car and stealing the battery pack, as well as loose change.
Walnut Street
On March 16, a woman reported that while she was cleaning a Walnut Street church, her purse had been stolen from the passenger floorboard of her SUV. She added that cash, prescription drugs, and bank and credit cards were in the handbag. Hough wrote in an arrest report that during questioning, Hudson recalled the break-in at the church.
North Temple Avenue
On March 16, a truck owner reported that his vehicle, parked at a North Temple Avenue auto repair shop, had been burglarized and that bank cards and his Apple watch were missing. He also noted that his bank card had several unauthorized purchases from Circle K at Brownlee Street and North Temple Avenue. Hough and another investigator wrote in an arrest report that video from the auto repair shop, convenience store, and an oil change business on North Temple Avenue appeared to show the same person in the vicinity of the burglary, making purchases using the victim’s bank card. Hough reported that Hudson admitted to the break-in.
