A Summerfield man with a checkered legal past is behind bars in the Marion County Jail in connection with a stolen all-terrain vehicle.
Dionne Latrell Southall, 26, was arrested Monday afternoon at the Tall Pines Motel & Trailer House, located at 11565 E. Hwy. 25 in Ocklawaha. He was charged with unarmed burglary of an unoccupied structure, grand theft of a motor vehicle and dealing in stolen property and is being held on $17,000 bond.
Southall is accused of stealing a John Deere “Gator” all-terrain vehicle last month from a Summerfield landscaping business. He was caught on video surveillance on the inside of a fence at the business checking door handles on vehicles and then leaving on the ATV valued at $3,500, a sheriff’s office report states.
During an ensuing investigation, detectives learned that Southall had worked at the business for about a year before he “abruptly” stopped showing up about a week prior to the burglary and theft. The owner also said he had received a tip that Southall may have the ATV, the report says.
Detectives spoke with Southall’s former roommate, who recalled a conversation about a John Deere “Gator” ATV. He said that Southall had talked about getting the ATV and making a “quick flip” to get some money. The roommate told detectives he thought the conversation was suspicious because Southall was living with him because he had been homeless and didn’t have property that valuable, the report says.
On Sunday, detectives spoke with Southall at the Tall Pines Motel & Trailer House after learning that he was living there. After being read his rights, Southall said he was aware of the theft of the ATV because the owner of the business had asked him if he had stolen it. He denied stealing the ATV and said someone may have overheard him talking about selling a golf cart instead. He also said he was being treated for asthma at the hospital in The Villages at the time of the theft, according to the report.
Southall gave detectives permission to search his phone and they located a message from an unknown person stating, “Yo bro is this gator stolen?” Southall answered that it wasn’t stolen and told detectives the message was about a “Gator” bicycle.
After further investigation, detectives located the person who said he purchased the ATV from Southall for $700. The landscaping business owner verified it was the same ATV that had been stolen from his business and the buyer said he didn’t know it was stolen.
Detectives then returned to the motel and after being detained and read his rights a second time, Southall admitting to selling an ATV but said it was a different one. He was then placed under arrest and transported to the Marion County Jail, where he was charged with unarmed burglary of an unoccupied structure, grand theft of a motor vehicle and dealing in stolen property. He was being held on $17,000 bond and his next court date hasn’t yet been set, jail records show.
Southall also was arrested in Leesburg in January 2015 along with three other men after loaded weapons and marijuana were discovered in their vehicle during a traffic stop. Southall, who was 19 at the time, was arrested on charges of a firearm by a convicted felon and tampering with physical evidence.
