Lake Butler contractor arrested for stealing items from home of customer

Staff report

NEWBERRY, Fla. – Dustin Earl Parrish, 39, of Lake Butler, was arrested yesterday and charged with burglary, theft, and dealing in stolen property after a Newberry woman reported several items missing and said Parrish had been working at her home.

The property owner told an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy that she hired Parrish to renovate her kitchen and told him he could not work unless she or one of her representatives was present. She said she did not give Parrish a key to the house.

On Monday, May 13, Parrish reportedly worked with the property owner’s permission. On May 14, a relative of the property owner stopped by the house and reportedly found Parrish inside the house while the property owner was gone.

The property owner showed the deputy some text messages in which Parrish reportedly said on May 14 that he was waiting outside to be let in, but when she had not arrived after some time, he sent a text that said he was leaving.

On May 15, it was discovered that about $10,000 of Gucci and Louis Vuitton accessories were stolen and the screws to the rear door lock had been removed to gain access to the house. The victim of the theft told the deputy that she had checked on the items the previous day and had verified that they were in a bedroom at the house.

Also on May 15, the deputy contacted Parrish, who reportedly denied any involvement in the theft, refused to meet with the deputy, and said Patricia Lynn Brandt of Lake Butler might have taken the items; he said Brandt, who was assisting him with the renovation, had arrived and left on her own.

The owner of the accessories reportedly found Brandt on Facebook Marketplace, where the stolen items were listed for sale less than 30 minutes after the property owner received the text that said Parrish was leaving. The victim also learned that some of the items had been sold to Lake City Cellular, and the deputy reported that Lake City Cellular “operates as an unauthorized pawn broker.” The victim recovered one of her stolen Louis Vuitton purses from Lake City Cellular.

The deputy interviewed Brandt on July 23 in the Sumter County Jail, where she was being held on unrelated narcotics charges. Post Miranda, Brandt reportedly said she had gone with Parrish to help with the renovation and that she does not have a vehicle; she said she had posted the items on Facebook Marketplace while sitting in Parrish’s truck and that he had driven her to Lake City to sell the purses. She said Parrish told her the property owner owed him money for his labor and implied that the purses were payment. She claimed that she didn’t know the items were stolen and denied stealing them.

A warrant for Parrish’s arrest was issued on July 31, and he was arrested in Lake Butler on August 28. A sworn complaint has been filed against Brandt in the case.

Parrish has been charged with grand theft, burglary, and dealing in stolen property. He has one misdemeanor conviction (non-violent). Judge Aymer “Buck” Curtin set bail at $75,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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