The following story was previously published on Lake Legal News.
MOUNT DORA, Florida — A man whose ex-girlfriend let him stay with her for a few weeks repaid her by stealing her SUV while she thought he was in the shower, and using her debit card without permission Sunday, according to an arrest affidavit.
Shortly after 7 p.m. Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a home in Mount Dora on a report of a stolen vehicle. The victim told LCSO Joaquin Ramon Medina-Rondon, 34, had been staying with her for about two weeks, and told her he was going to take a shower.
The victim thought Medina-Rondon was taking a long time in the shower and began investigating why, the affidavit states. She walked around the front of her house and noticed her 2020 Nissan Rogue was missing and her keys were gone. She went into the bathroom and found the water running and Medina-Rondon gone, possibly leaving through the bathroom window.
She told LCSO Medina-Rondon has never had permission to use her vehicle and said her purse and wallet, containing her debit card were in the SUV. She checked her account and found that her card was used for two separate withdrawals totaling $309. The victim said Medina-Rondon must have figured out her PIN. A laptop was also in the vehicle.
Early Monday morning, LCSO spotted the SUV on County 437 in the Sorrento area. They deployed stop sticks, deflating the driver’s side tires and took Medina-Rondon into custody. The victim’s purse, wallet, debit card and laptop were all found in the vehicle.
Medina-Rondon, who was already out on bond for a prior grand theft charge was arrested for grand theft of a motor vehicle, petit theft, unlawful possession of a stolen debit card and fraudulent use of a credit card. He was booked into the Lake County Jail, where he was later released on $10,000 bond.
