An Ocala woman was jailed last week after an oil change technician came to work and found her sitting in a lawn chair next to his girlfriend’s burglarized vehicle.
Marion County deputies were called to Take 5 Oil Change in Summerfield on Tuesday and when they arrived, an employee told them 36-year-old Brandy Nicole Woods was sitting in a chair that had been taken from the vehicle. He said the contents of the trunk had been emptied out and were located near Woods, a sheriff’s office report states.
The man said Woods was wearing bracelets and a pair of sunglasses that belonged to his girlfriend, as well as a pair of shorts that belonged to her son. He said he had confronted Woods and she claimed that someone told her the vehicle was hers, the report says.
Deputies initially received no explanation from Woods about the burglary. She then claimed a deputy had read her rights to her too fast. She said she believed that if she spoke to the deputy, she wouldn’t to go jail and if she didn’t, she would. The deputy attempted to explain that an arrest wasn’t based on her speaking with him and Woods “started making statements that made no sense,” the report says.
Deputies reviewed surveillance video from the oil change business that showed Woods arriving in the overnight hours and appearing to sleep inside the vehicle. They reported seeing her flicking a lighter and smoking something, the report says.
Deputies located a black Bic lighter in the rear passenger seat and a cigar wrapper in the trunk, which the man’s girlfriend said didn’t belong to her. Woods was then taken into custody and transported to the Marion County jail.
Woods, who lives at 9780 SE 36th Ave. in Ocala, was charged with petit theft and burglary of an unoccupied conveyance during a state of emergency (for the COVID-19 outbreak). She was being held on $7,000 bond and is due in court April 28 at 9 a.m. to answer to the charges.
