Tip Leads to Trillium Vehicle Burglary Suspect’s Arrest
Since late October, detectives with the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office have been investigating a series of vehicle burglaries that occurred in the Trillium subdivision in Brooksville.
On Oct. 30, a total of eight vehicle burglary reports were taken from residents of Trillium. While video surveillance in the area captured a possible suspect, the suspect was never identified.
On Dec. 18, several residents living in Trillium once again reported several vehicle burglaries had occurred. A total of 3 vehicle burglary reports were taken on this occasion.
The suspect was once again caught on video committing the vehicle burglaries. Detectives quickly noted that the suspect appeared similar to the one who committed the Oct. 30 vehicle burglaries.
Using video footage of the suspect from both days, on Dec. 21 the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office posted images of the suspect via social media in hopes of ID’ing the person responsible for the multiple vehicle burglaries.
Within minutes of the social media post, an individual called the Sheriff’s Office to ID the suspect as Justin Lee Williams W/M DOB/05-27-1998.
Deputies responded to a residence in Masaryktown where Williams was known to be staying for past three weeks. He was quickly taken into custody after attempting to flee on foot.
During questioning, Williams admitted to committing the multiple vehicle burglaries on both days. He indicated he would cut through the wooded area between Masaryktown and Trillium to commit the vehicle burglaries.
Williams was charged with 10 counts of Vehicle Burglary and one count of Armed Vehicle Burglary, all felonies. He is currently incarcerated at the Hernando County Detention Center in lieu of a $37,700 bond.
The Office of Sheriff:
The Office of the Sheriff is established by the Florida Constitution. As a constitutional officer, the Sheriff has the exclusive authority to administer his or her agency and is responsible for preserving the peace throughout the entire county, carrying out the laws of the state, the orders of Florida courts, and the ordinances of the Board of County Commissioners. The Sheriff is the chief law enforcement and correctional officer of the county.
Sheriff Al Nienhuis was initially appointed as the Sheriff of Hernando County by the Governor in January of 2011. He was then elected by the people of Hernando County in 2012, ran unopposed in 2016, and remains accountable to them.
