DNA found at the scene of an armed home invasion in Brooksville has led to the arrest and extradition of a known felon residing in Maryland. Serial numbers obtained from a firearm stolen from the scene also figured in the arrest.
In the early morning hours of March 22, 2020, staff members from Bayfront Health in Brooksville called deputies from the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) about an emergency room patient who claimed to have been struck with a weapon. Upon arrival they learned due to the extent of his head injuries, the man had been transported to the Regional Center at Bayonet Point for further treatment.
There the deputies met with the patient who told them that around 1 a.m. He was in the bedroom of his residence on Howell Avenue in Brooksville with the door closed. When he decided to leave the bedroom, he saw three black men in his home. The men were wearing dark-colored t-shirts, dark-colored clothes, and had t-shirts tied around their heads.
“All three were wielding handguns,” said HCSO Deputy Public Information Officer (PIO) Michael Terry.
The man told deputies that one of the home invaders hit him in the head with a weapon and demanded money. The same suspect picked-up various objects from inside the residence including valuables, and other suspects took various items from others who also live in the home.
After all the suspects fled, a friend took the injured man to the hospital, he said.
Detectives interviewed all the victims who were at the home during the incident, and forensics specialists collected physical evidence including an item that was used by one of the suspects to obscure his identity during the home invasion.
The case was later turned over to major case detectives for investigation.
On April 1, 2020, the Florida Crime Information Center connected the serial numbers from one of the firearms stolen at the scene to a homicide in Maryland.
On May 27, 2020, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) entered DNA recovered at the scene into the Combined DNA Index System. The system matched the DNA to then 22-year-old Isaac Kent, a known felon living in Maryland.
“HCSO detectives then contacted detectives in Baltimore to discuss the investigation,” Terry said.
In June 2021, HCSO sent an arrest and extradition warrant to detectives in Baltimore where Kent was subsequently arrested and transported to the Hernando County Detention Center.
On Aug. 9, 2021, Kent confessed to taking part in the Brooksville home invasion along with two other Maryland men.
Nearly one year later, on Aug. 8, 2022, Kent pleaded guilty to a robbery charge and was sentenced to serve 94 months with the Florida Department of Corrections.
Meanwhile, the investigation of the other two men suspected in the case remains ongoing.
Anyone with information about the March 22, 2020 Brooksville home invasion should call If you have any information about this case, please contact Detective D. Kortman at 352-754-6830.
Tipsters wishing to remain anonymous should call Hernando County Crime Stoppers at 1-866-990-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip online at http://www.hernandocountycrimestoppers.com. Crime Stoppers may be eligible for a cash reward up to $3,000.
