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Man held in rash of break-ins

Investigators think the suspect committed about 65 burglaries before he got careless.

By JOHN FRANK
Published June 9, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT Joseph Jason Collura, 27, was caught after he tried to break into a home that wasn't empty, reports say.

SPRING HILL- A home burglary gone awry in May led to the capture of a Spring Hill man who is believed to have committed more than 65 similar break-ins, authorities say.

Joseph Jason Collura, 27, of 1284 Aladdin Road, faces charges in 15 residential burglaries, and Hernando deputies suspect him in about 50 more.

Reports indicate that Collura began targeting homes in the Spring Hill and Royal Highlands areas in March, striking during the daytime when residents often aren't home. In the bulk of cases, he pried open rear sliding-glass doors that were locked, and once inside, he took anything of value, particularly electronics and jewelry, reports state.

The Hernando County Sheriff's Office noticed a pattern in the burglaries shortly after they began and implemented an operations plan to catch the culprit.

But authorities caught up with Collura only after he made a mistake: trying to break into a home on Freeport Drive about 3 p.m. May 29, according to reports.

A 55-year-old woman who was home at the time said a man first knocked on her front door. Before she could get to the door, he had gone around to the back of her house. The burglar quickly used a screwdriver to pop open the screen door to her porch.

When the woman confronted him, the man ran and fled in a burgundy, four-door Nissan Maxima. She called 911.

Deputies flooded the area and stopped the car on Forest Oaks Boulevard. Collura and his wife, Christina, were inside, reports state.

Authorities also found numerous items that appeared to be stolen, including portable DVD players, a Hewlett Packard computer printer and personal digital assistant, and jewelry.

The items had been taken during break-ins at homes on Kirkwood Avenue and Amboy Street earlier in the day, authorities said.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Deputy Donna Black said investigators obtained more stolen items from local pawnshops, and they are still recovering and returning other property.

Collura, whom authorities consider a flight risk, was being held Friday at the Hernando County Jail without bail.

John Frank can be reached at jfrank@sptimes.com or 352 754-6114.

[Last modified June 8, 2007, 20:12:08]