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Hernando man arrested in series of burglaries
By SUZANNAH GONZALES A year after a spate of burglaries -- including the theft of $30,000 from Crystal River Bingo -- police have arrested a 20-year-old Hernando man. James Christopher Shelton was arrested at his home at 721 E Winnetka St. on Thursday morning. He was released from the Citrus County jail later that night after posting $29,000 bail. Detective Al Emrick of the Citrus County Sheriff's Office accused him of taking part in two house burglaries in Beverly Hills and one in Citrus Hills in the past 12 to 20 months, Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Gail Tierney said. Jewelry and electronics were taken from the homes, she said. Crystal River police Detective Corey Sharpe said Shelton participated in a burglary at Crystal River Bingo on U.S. 19 on Jan. 19, 2002. Between midnight and 9 a.m. that day, Shelton helped steal a safe worth $2,000 and $30,000 in cash stored inside the safe, Sharpe said. The bingo hall was hit again the next month. That time, $2,280, batteries and a carton of Virginia Slims cigarettes were taken. Sharpe said the two incidents at Crystal River Bingo and a few other burglaries throughout the county, including two more establishments that also serve as bingo halls, were related. They occurred within a two-month period, Sharpe explained. "All burglaries were the same type of scenario, just different location," he said. But more than a year after the burglaries, Crystal River police had no suspects, Sharpe said. A recent Sheriff's Office investigation led Crystal River police to Shelton. While officials were looking into residential burglaries, witnesses told them Shelton was involved in a bingo hall burglary but they didn't know where, Sharpe said. "We just started to put two and two together, and it started adding up," he said. Officials believe Shelton did not act alone. Both the Sheriff's Office and Crystal River police expect to make more arrests in connection with old burglary cases. Shelton also may face more charges. The money taken from Crystal River Bingo would have been used for operating expenses and donations to about five charities, including the Crystal River Police Department Support Association, Sharpe said. Sharpe said the robbers used the money to take friends out to dinner, go to the movies, take trips to Clearwater and on motel rooms. "They basically have nothing to show for it really except the criminal record now," he said. -- Suzannah Gonzales can be reached at 860-7312 or sgonzales@sptimes.com.
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