On September 9 at 6:33 p.m., a deputy on proactive patrol along U.S. 19 noticed a vehicle that started to swerve as his patrol cruiser pulled up behind the driver. The deputy noted several people appeared to be moving around inside the vehicle.
The driver of the vehicle proceeded to make a quick right turn into a nearby business. After pulling into the business, the driver then quickly exited the parking lot and once again headed north on U.S. 19. Due to the suspicious behavior the deputy performed a tag check and discovered the vehicle was reported stolen out of Jacksonville.
The deputy conducted a traffic stop at Weeki Wachee High School.
The driver of the stolen vehicle was identified as James Chesteen W/M DOB 12/2/1997, out of Jacksonville.
During a search of the vehicle, the deputy located a Bank of America debit card belonging to an individual who had reported it stolen earlier in the day. Chesteen indicated that he had used the debit card to make two purchases at Walmart.
During questioning, Chesteen admitted to entering a residence on Windjammer Drive during the early morning hours through an unlocked sliding glass door where he took a purse, cell phone and two sets of car keys.
Chesteen then exited the residence and entered another residence on Lighthouse Way, also through an unlocked sliding glass door. There he took a bag of medication and a cell phone.
Chesteen then returned to the Windjammer Drive residence where he used the stolen car keys to drive off in the homeowner’s Rav4. Chesteen took the vehicle to Pasco County where it was later located at an apartment complex in Port Richey.
Chesteen also admitted to using a lookout to commit the burglaries and that they have been committing similar burglaries throughout the area.
Chesteen was charged with two counts of Burglary of a Dwelling and one count of Grand Theft Auto. He was taken to the Hernando County Detention Center where his bond was set at $32,000.