MARION COUNTY, Fla. – A Citrus County man is accused of spending his November nights stealing scores of appliances from homes in Marion County.
Micheal Dale Campfield, 34, of Citrus Springs, is the subject of no fewer than 11 new arrest affidavits regarding theft, fresh from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
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Throughout November, Campfield would reportedly break and enter at homes in the Marion Oaks area — most of which were either under construction or newly sold — before leaving with refrigerators, ranges, washer/dryer sets and other appliances which he would pull out and drag away, some to later sell to “an unidentified man,” a news release states. The thefts often left the homes damaged, their floors scuffed and doorways battered, according to the reports filed with MCSO.
On Tuesday, multiple detectives with the sheriff’s office’s Property Crimes unit got together to conduct surveillance in the area of the burglaries. They were looking for a vehicle that had appeared on surveillance footage at one of the homes and reportedly spotted it during the first 15 minutes of the operation, the release states. Behind the wheel of that vehicle was Campfield, who allegedly confessed to being the individual depicted in the surveillance video and said he wasn’t going to lie about it.
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Going through the arrest affidavits, it would seem Campfield stole at least nine ranges/stoves, two refrigerators, three washer/dryer sets, a dishwasher, an air conditioner, two paint sprayers, a pressure washer, an appliance mover and a tile cutter. Victims of the thefts often reported monetary losses in the thousands as Campfield would allegedly go on to sell at least the stoves for around $250 to $300 each, deputies said. He told deputies that he had fallen on hard times and needed money because he was living out of his vehicle, the affidavits state.
A search of Campfield’s vehicle and person turned up a tire iron reportedly used to commit the burglaries, a firearm, cocaine and drug paraphernalia, leading to more charges for the 34-year-old, deputies said.
Campfield at latest faces charges of burglary of a dwelling, grand theft, criminal mischief, dealing in stolen property, possession of burglary tools, possession of cocaine, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of drug paraphernalia and attaching an unassigned license plate, with further investigation tying him to an additional 23 felony offenses and one misdemeanor, according to the sheriff’s office.
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