Bautista
A Greenwood man was arrested after police say he broke into a home, cut his hair, took a shower and stole a vehicle parked in the garage.
Maka O. Bautista, 21, was arrested on charges of burglary and auto theft, along with an out-of-county warrant. The Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office will decide what, if, any charges to file.
Greenwood police were called to the 1000 block of Wildwood Drive at 2:35 p.m. Sunday to investigate a report of a suspicious man in the area. A man wearing light-colored pants and a gray hooded sweatshirt had reportedly been going door-to-door attempting to sell Versace belts. When police arrived in the area, they were not able to find the man, according to a Greenwood Police Department report.
About two hours later, around 4:25 p.m., police were called to the 1100 block of Barcelona Drive after two people reported their house had been burglarized. The homeowners told police they had arrived home and opened their garage to discover their SUV was missing from the garage, according to the report. There was no sign of forced entry, so homeowners told police they likely left the patio door unlocked.
The homeowners told police their blinds had been shut, their belongings had been moved around and a décor item was broken. The homeowners also found a trail of human hair going from the living room to the bathroom, where they found a hair trimmer and a pile of hair. It also appeared that whoever had broken into the home had taken a shower there, the report says.
In addition to the vehicle, several items of clothing were taken from the home, the homeowners told police.
Clothing that did not belong to the homeowners was found in a pile on the bathroom floor. In the pile of clothes, a phone was found. On the phone’s lock screen, a photo of man who police say looks like Bautista is displayed, the report says.
The left-behind clothing matches the description of the clothing of the suspicious person that was given in the earlier 911 report, according to the report.
Police obtained the stolen vehicle’s license information from the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles and put out an alert for the car. A license plate reader camera found the car around 3:58 p.m. in Edinburgh near State Road 252 and Interstate 65, the report says.
The car was then captured on another camera around 4:26 p.m. going eastbound on State Road 44 west of Miller Street in Shelbyville. Shelby County deputies located the car near the 6000 block of S. County Road 600 West, the report says. .
The man detained by deputies appeared to have freshly shaven hair and was wearing clothing the homeowner identified as clothes that were taken from his home. The man was then taken to the Greenwood Police Department, where he was identified as Bautista, the report says.
In an interview, Bautista denied he is the man who was reportedly selling belts earlier on Sunday. He was asked how he gained possession of the SUV, and he told police a friend had let him drive it that day. However, the homeowners denied permitting him to drive the SUV, the report says.
At one point during the interview, Bautista asked why he was in trouble for taking a shower. However, police had not asked him about taking a shower. They then asked him where he took a shower, but he was unable to answer, the report says.
The interview ended after Bautista asked for a lawyer, the report says.
Bautista was taken to the Johnson County jail where he was held without bond because of the warrant. The warrant was issued by a Marion County judge for conversion and unauthorized entry to a motor vehicle, online court records show.
In December, Bautista pled guilty in Johnson County Superior Court 3 to charges of auto theft and resisting law enforcement with a vehicle. He was sentenced to probation and was still serving his sentence at the time of his arrest. A petition to revoke his probation was filed on Tuesday, with a hearing set for May 19, online court records show.
