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Teens charged in rash of burglaries
By JENNIFER FARRELL, Times Staff Writer SPRING HILL -- A pair of Springstead High students have been charged with a string of home burglaries in Pristine Place, Springwood Estates and Deerfield that took place overnight this week as victims slept. According to Hernando County Sheriff's Office reports, Dan Bounmysai, 16, of 14162 Highgrove Road, and Darnell Adams, 17, of 15193 Eastwood Trail, donned dark caps, masks and gloves before breaking into a series of homes and vehicles. They are accused of taking cash, jewelry, electronic equipment, a camera, purse, car keys, wallets and a prescription medication. Lt. Joe Paez, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office, said deputies had received multiple burglary reports and tracked the teens through undercover surveillance. "It could be 20 they've admitted to so far," he said. "After the dust settles, we'll find out how many actual cases we have." According to sheriff's reports, Adams was arrested at home Wednesday after a search of his bedroom turned up stolen property, including a DVD player, cell phones and a watch. Bounmysai was arrested Thursday morning at Springstead. Paez said the pair then led deputies on a tour of homes they had struck. "They've got the guys out on the street," he said. "They're pointing out houses." Authorities say Bounmysai and Adams broke into a home on Sonora Drive on Wednesday, stealing cell phones that they later used to call each other. Adams also phoned home, leading deputies to his door after they traced the call. According to reports, the pair also broke into a home Sunday on Pullman Drive, where they took a laptop computer, a 35mm camera, a child's billfold and a set of car keys. As the owners slept, they unlocked a car in the garage and made off with a cell phone and a woman's purse. Outside, they entered a car parked in the driveway and took a cell phone and wallet, authorities say. At a home on Eastwood Trail, authorities say, the pair cut a screen to get in. They left when a woman in the home saw them with a flashlight and screamed. They took a set of car keys, the reports said. They are also accused of taking a DVD player and $75 from a home on Atwater Drive. Both teens were turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice and taken to the detention center in Ocala, said Paez. He predicted additional charges will follow as the investigation continues. "There will be more," said Paez. "They'd be out there again tonight if we didn't (arrest them)." -- Jennifer Farrell covers Spring Hill and can be reached at 848-1432. Send e-mail to
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From today's Hernando Times Jan Glidewell Letters |
