Three law enforcement agencies swung into action early Sunday morning after receiving a report of a burglary in progress at a Mount Dora flea market that’s frequented by Villagers.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office received the call after the owner of Renningers Farmers & Flea Market spotted three men on security footage inside his facility. Sheriff’s deputies quickly responded, along with officers from the Mount Dora and Tavares police departments.
Those officers set up a perimeter around the area and while doing so located a Silver Chevy Colorado pickup registered to a man from Georgia. Minutes later, a truck and trailer were stolen from a nearby home and two people began to flee the scene, a sheriff’s office report states.
Deputies immediately located the vehicle driving with no headlights. The truck avoided deputies stopped in the roadway, lost the trailer in tow and soon became disabled. Deputies then located the driver, 20-year-old Levi Aaron Bradford, of Apopka, and his juvenile brother, in the vehicle. Both were taken into custody and deputies confirmed through security camera footage that they were inside Renningers earlier, the report says, adding that the third suspect remained at large.
Around 8:30 a.m., 21-year-old Deon Frank Moore, of Georgia, contacted the Mount Dora Police Department to attempt to report his vehicle stolen. It turned out to be the same pickup located by deputies several hours earlier, which led them to confirm that Moore was the third suspect. And after viewing footage from Renningers’ security cameras, Moore was arrested and taken into custody.
Bradford, who lives at 6401 Fortune Ln. in Apopka, was charged with burglary to a business, grand theft of a motor vehicle, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, fleeing and attempting to elude law enforcement and criminal mischief. He is being held on $5,000 bond and is due in Lake County Court on March 25 at 8 a.m. to answer to the charges.
Moore, who lives at 49 Roberts Rd. in Hahira, Ga., was charged with burglary armed with explosives or a dangerous weapon, possession of burglary tools and petit theft. He was released on his own recognizance Monday afternoon and also is due in court on March 25 at 8:30 a.m. to answer to the charges.
Deputies noted in the report that Renningers, located at 20651 U.S. Hwy. 441 in Mount Dora, has been burglarized several times recently, with firearms and other electronics being stolen. They recovered the items stolen during the most recent burglary but still are searching for items taken in the past, the report says.
