Brooksville woman returns home to find burglar, deputies say

A 33-year-old man faces burglary charges after a woman and her son arrived at their Brooksville home and found him running out their front door with a bag of their belongings, deputies said.

Kevin Russel Bearden also faces grand theft charges because he was found in a stolen vehicle, according to a report from the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.

The woman returned to her home on Hickory Hill Road just before 1 p.m. Thursday to find Bearden, who dropped the bag and fled in an orange vehicle, the report said.

The woman called authorities and provided the dispatcher with a detailed description of the suspect and his vehicle.

Within 30 minutes, Deputy Tommy Harris, located Bearden and arrested him. Harris is a school resource deputy at Springstead High School who was reassigned to patrol during the summer months.

Harris made the arrest hours after starting his new assignment.

“Using our resources wisely is something that my supervisors take seriously,” said Hernando Sheriff Al Nienhuis. “Here is a perfect example of using a seasoned school resource deputy to augment the patrol function during the summer months. Although Deputy Harris is a well-respected law enforcement professional, it is still impressive, however, that he was able to make such a significant arrest within only a few hours of starting his summer assignment.”