POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A Bartow woman is behind bars after Polk County deputies say she tricked a pair of local business owners into acting as unwitting accomplices in a $7,000 home burglary.
The investigation began on December 22 following a break-in at a residence on Eloise Cove Drive in Winter Haven. Detectives arriving at the scene discovered that approximately $7,000 worth of property had been cleared out of the home.
A key break in the case came from a neighbor who reported seeing a white Chevy pickup truck parked in the driveway during the timeframe of the theft.
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Investigators traced the vehicle to a couple in Bartow who operate a moving and hauling business. When questioned, the couple was reportedly cooperative and provided a surprising explanation for their presence at the scene.
According to the business owners, they had been hired by a customer, identified as 41-year-old Kerry Horne of Bartow. The couple told detectives Horne approached them with a sympathetic story: her mother had recently been evicted, and she needed urgent help clearing out the property before the deadline.
Horne allegedly offered the movers a deal—if they helped transport the items and sold them through their store, they could keep half the proceeds. The couple provided documentation to deputies that backed up their account of the arrangement.
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Following the lead, detectives located Horne, who eventually admitted to fabricating the eviction story to facilitate the theft.
Kerry Horne was arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and is now facing charges of Burglary, Grand Theft, and Dealing in Stolen Property.
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