An unauthorized vehicle parked in front of a construction site in Spring Hill led Hernando County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) deputies to a couple who confessed to carrying out several local retail thefts.
According to HCSO Deputy Public Information Officer (PIO) Michael Terry, Sgt. S. Johnson and Detective G. Garman were on proactive patrol in Spring Hill during the early morning hours of Oct. 7 when they spotted a silver Hyundai Genesis parked in front of a construction site at 12181 Topaz Street.
They later saw the car’s driver, later identified as 43-year-old Jeffrey Reardon trespassing on the property before getting into the vehicle and fleeing after deputies ordered him to stop.
Deputies later found the car abandoned near Cartee Avenue and Keysville Avenue in Spring Hill.
While HCSO Aviation and Drone units scoured the area in an attempt to find Reardon and his passenger who was later identified as Mailynne Billings, 46, deputies located the pair shortly after the car was abandoned.
During a search of the vehicle deputies found several items reported as stolen during a recent string of local retail thefts.
When they were questioned, the pair confessed to carrying out the thefts.
Deputies subsequently arrested Reardon and charged him with resisting an officer without violence, driving on a suspended or revoked license, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, trespassing, and fleeing to elude.
Billings was also arrested and charged with resisting an officer without violence. Both were booked into the Hernando County Detention Center where Reardon is being held in lieu of $10,000 bond.
Additional charges are pending further investigation, Terry said.
