Armed neighbors detain apologetic burglar

A Dunnellon man this week kicked open the back door of a woman’s home, returned hours later to apologize but was then detained at gunpoint by neighbors, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. When a deputy arrived in the 18800 block of Southwest 31st Street in Ocala early Tuesday morning, three people were holding Anthony Talley at gunpoint. In the patrol cruiser on the way to jail, Talley told a deputy, “I had a really bad night last night,” according to a Sheriff’s Office report. Talley had multiple scratches on his arms, face and legs, the report noted. Talley, 26, told a deputy he wanted to apologize to the woman, whose home he is accused of burglarizing. He also told the deputy, “I really don’t remember going into her house,” according to the report. He was charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling and criminal mischief. Talley, who also has a pending grand theft case, is being held without bond. On Monday night, deputies were called to the scene, where homeowner Connie Bryant said she was asleep when she heard loud banging coming from outside the home. When she turned on the porch light, she saw a man banging on her back door with his fists and screaming “I’m going to get you (expletive).” 

Bryant said she ran to the front door so she could leave and then heard the burglar break through the back door. The woman fled to her neighbor’s home. When Bryant told the neighbor what happened, he grabbed his gun and went to her residence. He said he saw a shirtless man wearing white or khaki pants near the back porch. He said the intruder then crashed through the Bryant’s wooden gate, and the neighbor fired a shot in the air. 

The neighbor and victim said they have never seen the intruder before; Bryant said he acted “wild and crazy” and thinks he may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Later, another woman told deputies she saw two men in the neighborhood and told them what had occurred the previous night. She noticed one of the men had scratches on his arms; she said he confessed and vowed to apologize to the victim. The woman said she then went to the victim’s residence to warn her that the man who broke into her home was on his way to see her, according to the report.

Bryant’s son, who was at his mother’s home, saw the man walking to the home and detained him at gunpoint. Neighbors then helped secure the suspect before deputies arrived. On Wednesday, Bryant told the Star-Banner that hearing that door being kicked in was “the most terror I’ve ever felt in my life.” With Talley not receiving any bond, Bryant said she “feels safe” with him behind bars for now. Talley’s next court date is set for May 30.

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