PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — A 31-year-old Crescent City man is behind bars after deputies say a domestic dispute escalated into an assault, vehicle theft and a multi-agency search that ended with a K-9-assisted arrest.
According to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Gildardo Fuentes was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, vehicle theft, battery, petit theft, and criminal mischief.
Deputies say the incident began at a Dollar General store in Crescent City when Fuentes approached a woman he had recently been in a relationship with and entered the vehicle she was driving. The victim told deputies she was afraid as Fuentes allegedly took her cellphone, keys and other belongings.
While inside the vehicle, Fuentes reportedly went through the victim’s phone and became upset before striking her with it. The victim told investigators she was able to escape when the vehicle stopped at Fuentes’ residence and ran to a nearby home, where she contacted law enforcement.
Fuentes then allegedly drove away in the victim’s vehicle.
Investigators tracked Fuentes not through the stolen phone or vehicle, but by monitoring an ankle device from a previous incarceration. Deputies said Fuentes attempted to evade capture by switching vehicles, accepting rides from others and fleeing on foot into a wooded area.
The search ended at an abandoned mobile home in Pomona Park, where deputies surrounded Fuentes. Authorities said he surrendered peacefully after being given the option to comply or face apprehension by K-9 Apache.
Fuentes was transported to the Putnam County Jail. Officials said he is also being held for violating bond conditions related to a 2025 domestic violence case and is not eligible for bond at this time.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.