Grace McAlister
Reporter1@riverbendnews.org
On Monday, Jan. 23, at approximately 2:35 a.m., the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) responded to Tustenuggee Road in Lake City, Fla., in reference to a possible burglary in progress. According to the arrest report, when CCSO deputies responded, they located a bike on the back porch. Deputies immediately saw the back door was open and the lock was broken. When making their announcements and contact with the occupants inside, one male, Vemond Coker, surrendered immediately. Coker was detained without further incident. A second individual, Roneca Robinson, surrendered as well after multiple announcements were made on the public address system. Robinson was also detained without further incident and advised deputies no one else was in residence.
However, the report states a third occupant, Carlton Ellis McCloud, a resident of White Springs, refused to exit the premises, which resulted in deputies clearing the residence and locating him. He was found in a closet located in the bedroom. When CCSO made contact with McCloud, he advised that he had been there since Sunday, Jan. 22, around 4 a.m. He stated he was staying at the residence to get some sleep and to take a shower. When deputies asked about taking anything from the residence, he advised he drank a few beers and cooked food for Robinson and Coker. McCloud then told CCSO deputies he “met another homeless guy who advised this residence would be a good place to stay,” the CCSO report states.
Robinson told deputies McCloud was staying there, and he told her she could stay there as well. Coker told CCSO he had been “staying there for a few days.”
All three subjects were charged with larceny and burglary. Additionally, Robinson and McCloud were charged with resisting an officer. They were each booked into the Columbia County Jail around 4:45 a.m.