What started out as a call to report a theft in Summerfield earlier this week ended with a man behind bars.
A Marion County sheriff’s deputy was called to a home in the 16800 block of SE 104th Terrace this past Monday when a 68-year-old woman reported a theft. She told the deputy that several items were taken from her home, including a patio umbrella ($1,000), miscellaneous tools ($500), a truck toolbox ($400), a battery charger ($150), a toolbox ($140) and four patio chairs ($80).
While at the residence, the deputy received a call from a sheriff’s lieutenant telling him that 49-year-old David J. Kotowski resided at the same location and was wanted on a Sumter County warrant on drug charges. The deputy then told Kotowski’s girlfriend, “Have your boyfriend David step out of the home,” as he was looking at a man standing in the doorway.
Kotowski then came out of the house and started walking toward the deputy while saying, “What do you want?” When the deputy told instructed him to come speak with him, Kotowski responded, “No, what do you want?” He then yelled, “I ain’t going back to jail” and ran inside the house, the report says.
Kotowski had been arrested in 2017 after he sold drugs out of his golf cart at Lowe’s in Summerfield.
As the deputy start chasing Kotowski, three dogs came rushing toward him. While evading getting bitten, the deputy saw Kotowski run out the front door of the residence to the backyard. The deputy called a K-9 unit for backup and gave Kotowski several commands to come out, which he refused to do, the report says.
The K-9 deputy arrived on scene and also gave Kotowski several commands to surrender. After he refused to comply, the deputy released his K-9 dog and Kotowski was found hiding behind a pile of clothes in a shed, where he was watching the deputies on surveillance cameras. As a result of refusing to comply, Kotowski was bitten on his left ankle by the K-9 dog during the incident.
After being treated by a Marion County Fire Rescue crew, Kotowski was taken into custody and transported to the Marion County Jail, where he was charged with resisting arrest without violence. He is being held on $2,000 bond and is due in court June 17 at 9 a.m. to answer to the charge.
