An Umatilla man was arrested this week in connection with the June burglary of a vacant Leesburg home.
The owner of the home on Harbor Shores Road contacted the Lake County Sheriff’s Office on June 26 to report a burglary the previous day. He told the responding deputy he had a six-camera security system installed after his mother passed away and the home was empty, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Video footage captured between 1:10 and 1:46 p.m. June 25 showed a white male with a slender build and a tattoo on his chest, wearing a baseball cap, long pants and no shirt. The video showed the burglar taking down three of the security cameras and throwing them into the woods. The burglar is also seen entering the home through a screen on the locked enclosed porch area and rummaging through several dresser drawers, the affidavit said.
A Black and Decker weed whacker/blower combo valued at $120 was taken during the burglary. The three surveillance cameras that were damaged and lost were valued at $350, according to the affidavit.
The deputy took a still image from the video and sent it to several agencies within the county to see if anyone recognized the suspect. Another deputy identified him from numerous previous encounters as 31-year-old Thomas Maudebe Riggio Jr., the affidavit said.
A warrant was issued for Riggio’s arrest and he was apprehended Tuesday and charged with burglary of a dwelling and grand theft. He’s being held in the Lake County Jail on $12,000 bond and will appear in Lake County Court on Oct. 17.
