ORMOND BEACH, Fla. – A man entered an Ormond Beach-area home and grabbed an 11-year-old girl by the hand -- then attempted a burglary at a second home nearby, investigators said Wednesday.
Steven M. Hasugulgum, 21, has been arrested, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Spokesman Andrew Gant said the Christmas Eve intruder was outside a home in the 1900 block of Myrtle Jo Drive around 6 p.m., when the 11-year-old victim opened a rear sliding-glass door and stepped out.
Hasugulgum approached her, put his finger to his lips and told her to “Shh,” and followed her back into the house as she retreated, Gant said.
Hasugulgum then grabbed the girl’s hand and lightly pulled her toward him.
The girl’s father heard something, came to see what was happening and chased Hasugulgum from the house, deputies said.
Ormond Beach police officers, along with deputies, then set a perimeter. A Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit began tracking Hasugulgum’s scent and found a pair of shorts and a black beanie cap belonging to the suspect, according to the arrest report.
The incident was captured on home surveillance video, which allowed deputies to see the suspect, Gant said.
It was about 6:40 p.m. when a woman at a house two streets over -- in the 1900 block of Nelson Avenue -- said she saw the doorknob twisting on her locked front door.
The woman went to check on the situation, she opened the door, and was met by a stranger who met the description of Hasugulgum, “acting erratic and holding a hammer,” Gant said.
The woman asked if she could help him, then closed and re-locked her door.
Hasugulgum ran to her SUV and tried to open it, but she hit the panic alarm and he ran away, Gant said.
Deputies took Hasugulgum into custody just after 7:25 p.m., when he showed back up on Myrtle Jo Drive.
Hasugulgum has an address in Daytona Beach but is a citizen of the Federated States of Micronesia. Deputies spoke with his mother who told them he does not suffer from any known mental illnesses.
One of the victims declined to press charges against Hasugulgum, due to the Christmas holiday, according to the arrest report.
He has been charged with burglary, attempted burglary of an occupied dwelling and attempted burglary of an unoccupied conveyance. At last check, he remained at the Volusia County Branch Jail on $20,000 bond.