OCALA, FL – A man has been arrested and charged for multiple motor vehicle thefts in and around the Ocala area police report.
On Friday, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) arrested Travis Joseph Slone (DOB: 05/07/1989) on Marion County warrants for five counts of Grand Theft of a Motor Vehicle and one count of Second-Degree Petit Theft.
On Sunday, August 16, 2020, MCSO received a report of a stolen Dodge Ram, which was determined to be unlocked with the keys inside at the time of the theft. Between August 17, 2020 and August 25, 2020, three additional vehicles were reported as stolen to MCSO: a Buick Lucerne, a Chevy Trailblazer, and a Nissan Frontier, which had its keys in the ignition. These three vehicle thefts, along with others in Marion County and Levy County, were believed to be related due to identifying evidence left behind by Slone.
MCSO Property Crimes detectives were notified on Tuesday, September 1, 2020 about a Kawasaki KFX-400 four-wheeler that had just been stolen. During their investigation, information was received from Levy County that the same four-wheeler was involved in a pursuit with their deputies. Detectives Fitch and Spratlin responded to Levy County and assisted in the pursuit of Slone, whom they identified due to the previous stolen vehicle investigations. Levy County deputies caused Slone to slow down and he fled on foot from the four-wheeler.
After a short foot pursuit, Slone was placed under arrest by Levy County on separate charges. Warrants were obtained for the vehicle thefts and petit thefts he committed in Marion County. All of the vehicles stolen by Slone in Marion County were recovered.
Slone was transferred to the Marion County Jail on Friday, February 19, 2021 and the Marion County warrants for his arrest were served. He is currently held on a $26,000.00 bond.