Two Homosassa men arrested, accused of stealing from churches
Citrus County, Florida - On Friday, October 14, 2022, detectives with the Community Crimes division of the Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) arrested two men as suspects in a string of burglaries that have occurred at local churches and storage facilities throughout Citrus County.
The previous day (Thursday, October 13), a burglary and grand theft was reported that had occurred at the Good Shepard Lutheran Church in Hernando, Florida. Detectives reviewed video surveillance from the church that showed two suspects removing items from the property valued at nearly $13,000. Items stolen from the church included three lawn mowers and a portable air compressor.
Community Crimes detectives worked with the agency's Intelligence Analysis Unit, to identify the two suspects from the surveillance video as 68 year-old Steven Rodrick and 54 year-old Henry Hudson, both of Homosassa, Florida.
Detectives located the two men at their residence, located at West Mistflower Place in Homosassa. During an interview, both men admitted that they'd committed the theft and told detectives where the stolen property was located.
While investigators were at the stolen property location, they found property had been reported stolen from the Gulf to Lake Church in Crystal River, Florida in June 2022.
Rodrick and Hudson were arrested on charges related to the two church burglaries. Rodrick was charged with two counts of burglary to a structure and three counts of grand theft. Hudson was charged with one count of burglary to a structure, two counts of grand theft, and violation of probation.
"A burglary can happen to anyone, at any time," said Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast. "I am proud of our detectives and analysists who nimbly worked together to solve and put a stop to these crimes."
Burglary and Theft Prevention Tips:
• Make sure your homes, sheds and cars - anything that can be locked - has a proper locking mechanism, and keep it locked at all times.
• Install motion-activated lighting.
• Keep items out of sight from roadways, when possible.
• Install security cameras. If you are the victim of burglary or theft, security systems and cameras increase the likelihood of developing leads to solve the case.
If you have any information about stolen property or any other crime within Citrus County, please contact the CCSO by phone at (352) 249-2790. If you have a tip, but would prefer to remain anonymous, please call Crime Stoppers of Citrus County at 1-888-ANY-TIPS.