A video has been released showing the capture of a homeless man who allegedly barged into a Villager’s home and tried to steal her purse.
The 78-year-old woman said she was at her home on the Historic Side of The Villages at about 3 p.m. Friday when the man knocked on her door and pushed his way inside, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department. Once inside, the man dumped out the woman’s purse on a table and began looking for her car keys. The woman immediately grabbed her purse, prompting a tug-of-war battle between herself and the homeless man. She successfully fought for her purse and pushed the man out her front her door.
You can see a video showing the capture of the suspect:
Craig Steven Johnson, 53, was apprehended near a home on St. Andrews Boulevard.
Johnson said he traveled through the woods and ultimately reached the woman’s home where he requested to use the woman’s phone “or to get a ride,” the report said. The Michigan native, who stands 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs 200 pounds, admitted he had pushed his way into her home and grabbed her purse.
The woman sent a letter to the Lady Lake Police department thanking all five officers involved in making the arrest. “Because of their fast response and my detailed description of this person, he was apprehended within 20 minutes or so…” she wrote.
She suffered swelling and redness to her hand during the scuffle with Johnson.
“This was a frightening and unacceptable attack on one of our senior residents,” said Lady Lake Police Chief Steve Hunt. “I am proud of the quick response from our officers, which ensured the suspect was apprehended before anyone else was harmed.”
Johnson continued to be held this week at the Lake County Jail on $40,000 bond on charges of burglary, battery and robbery.
The brazen burglary comes at a time when homelessness seems to be a growing problem in The Villages. Last week, Amenity Authority Committee member William Williamson raised his concern about homelessness on the Historic Side and said homeless individuals have been found sleeping in golf course restrooms. A Village of Hillsborough woman recently detailed the discovery of homeless men living at her postal station and another person recently complained about homeless people showering at the pool at Savannah Center.