It was a few minutes after midnight when the victim at a house on Palm Coast’s on Carr Lane, a 48-year-old woman, heard what no one wants to hear in one’s house in the middle of the night: the noise of someone trying to break in from the garage.
At first the victim thought something was running loose in the garage. She turned on the interior light there, but as she stood on the stoop of the door between the garage and the house, “she observed the door knob to the side garage door move and begin to rotate,” according to a police report. She called the cops.
By the time Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene, the door knob had fallen off the door itself, and “the inner working of the door knob was visibly bent from appearing to be broke[n] out of the door,” the report states.
Deputies brought a K-9 unit to the scene and began a search of the neighborhood. They discovered fresh tire marks from a bicycle in the west grass around the back of the residence, and not long after that, spotted a small BMX style bike under a palm tree, in the front lawn of 5 Carr Lane, a few doors down from where what was now considered an attempted burglary had taken place.
Soon deputies encountered Ruben Cortes, 23, a habitual offender and a resident of nearby 1 Campbell Court in Palm Coast, who’s been booked into the Flagler County jail 11 times between 2009 and last year. He was about to be booked in for the 12th time.
Cortes was hiding in the carport behind a chair, a garbage can and a recycling bucket. Deputies instructed him to place his hands in the air, get down on his stomach and crawl out, at which point he was handcuffed.
When a deputy asked him why he was hiding, Cortes said because he’d just taken a Xanax, the popular anti-anxiety medication blamed as a contributing factor in 29 deaths in Florida last year. Cortes told deputies he knew he was in trouble from taking the prescription medication (though his booking does not include a charge for illegal possession of prescription pills). He then began to wobble and said he was not feeling well.
Cortes was taken to Florida Hospital Flagler then booked at the Flagler County jail on attempted burglary, criminal mischief and prowling charges. He remained at the jail Monday afternoon on $2,000 bond. His previous bookings were the result of probation violation, burglary, drug possession, dealing in stolen property, shooting or throwing a deadly missile, and marijuana possession. Florida prison records show he was sentenced to a two-year prison term in June 2010, serving in state prison from July to December 2011.
In an unrelated incident Friday afternoon (Oct. 18), Elliott Dixon, 19, a resident of Nolan Street in Jacksonville, was arrested and charged with shoplifting bed sheets, clothing and Lego sets, among other items, at Walmart. According to a Wamart employee, Dixon placed the items in a tote in a shopping cart than pushed the cart out of the store without paying. He went out through the garden side of the store. When the employee approached him and identified himself, Dixon fled on foot.
Based on the description provided 911, a deputy located Dixon near Dunkin Donuts—and took out his Taser, ordering Dixon to get on the ground. The arrest report does not make clear why the Taser was taken out, though the weapon was not used (and deputies seldom take out their weapons). The Walmart employee identified Dixon as the suspect, and Dixon was booked at the Flagler County jail on a shoplifting charge and a “resisting merchant” charge. He posted $1,500 bond and was released.
Outsider says
It’s surprising to me every time I read about all these habitual burglars who have not yet won the “you picked the house with the guy with the 12 gauge street sweeper like mine waiting for you” lottery. It’s gonna happen, boys.
[Outsider, we appreciate your engagement and your opinions, even though they are generally diametrically opposed to ours. But please: never use the “Just sayin'” phrase. It causes us medical conditions even the ACA won’t cover. So it’ll either get deleted or prevent your comment from going live. Thanks.–FL]
Cartwell says
Arrested 12 times. 2 years in state prison and still doing crimes. Yep, this country is falling fast.
Pcmommy says
Repeat offender. Booked 11 times in less than 5 years. Something tells me this guy is not learning from his mistakes. Time to lock him up for a loooog sentence where he can’t victimize others in our community! Our system is too lenient if it allows this type of criminal to roam after multiple offenses. And to consider that these booking were only the times he was caught and there could have been more attempts where the police was not involved. Will he not be locked away until someone gets physically injured or killed?? Put him behind bars and in a jail where you serve, not a correctional institution filled with luxuries like cable TV, gym access, and in some cases education using taxpayer dollars. These folks need to learn discipline so they are less inclined to return.
Gia says
These king of vermin should be hung just like the days. Otherwise next time the’ll burglarize your house & who know what else
Anonymous says
Isn’t it time to raise bond amounts when they are booked so many times and get out to commit more crimes even if they are petty crimes. A man has been booked 12 times can get out for only $200. It’s like a revolving door with our justice system and waste of police man power.
Ben Dover says
Most people who take Xanax , relax and chill out , not start prowling their neighborhood looking to rob someone , and all the drugs this piece of work has sold and done , would hardly get wobbly from a Xanax, 11 arrests in 3 years for these types of crimes and he`s still terrifying women in the middle of the night , God only knows what he`d of done had he gotten in and she ran into him in her hallway , garbage like this make getting your meds hard for people like myself that really need it, I think he needs to be sent to prison for the rest of his life hes obviously not going to stop this behavior, can t have him roaming our streets looking for unlocked doors
fruitcake says
Booked 12 times! When are they going to throw the key away? Keep bending over backwards and hoping these outstanding members of our community will stop stealing stuff from those of us who actually worked hard to make the money to buy the stuff they steal…..I guess the libs will have something to say about my comment…Like it’s “our” fault they have to steal blah blah blab…
downinthelab says
+1 to that.
How about a list all the judges this guy has seen in the last 10 appearances?
A.S.F. says
@fruitcake says–I think very few “Libs” (as you call us) would say it’s OK to absolve criminals from responsibility for their criminal acts. Repeat offenders like this guy need to pay the consequences for their criminal acts. That being said, I do support mental health and addiction treatment for people with serious issues, whether they get it inside prison, at an inpatient hospital or other such facility or are responsible to participate in such programs as a condition to their parole, probation or conditional or early release. And not making the investment to make those mandated services available is just plain stupid. Who wants to be at mercy of junkies breaking into their house? Not me! Not you, I’m sure. Anything that might help bring THOSE numbers down is worth the investment.
Mario di Girolamo says
Maybe this guy needs a stronger Rx for Xanax and perhaps, a nice comfy cell to call home.
Anonymous says
If these characters were targeting the home of Judges would they get 12 chances? There is no excuse to clog up the court system 12 times in such a short period of time with someone who knows they can continue to get away with crimes time after time. Lock him up, and throw away the key!
Anon says
Repeat offenders will continue offending, and those who haven’t started yet, will. There are not enough jobs in our country for our available labor force. Without jobs, without an ability to earn a living, people will resort to levels that none of us can imagine. And we’re complaining about “at the taxpayers expense?” Soon there will be no more tax dollars to spend, then what? Until American companies are forced to bring back ALL the jobs to America rather than “offshore” , we will continue as is, and worse. Humanity is not in and of itself evil; it’s the greed of corporate America that has driven us down this desperate pathway.
Rocky Mac says
Fruitcake, what purpose did your “lib” comment serve? This “lib” is blaming the criminal and no one else. And if this loser comes near my garage, this “lib” may need to use my gun. So stop with the lib crap.