2 Florida men arrested on burglary charges, 1 found in gopher tortoise nest by K-9

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Two Florida men, Justin Buchler and Justin Harris, were arrested Wednesday night on suspicion of burglarizing and disturbing a gopher tortoise’s nest, according to Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

According to PCSO, a good Samaritan told law enforcement there was a possible break-in at a Melrose home involving two men.

When deputies arrived, they said they found the home and storage areas ransacked. As deputies were investigating, they said Harris was seen approaching the property from a wooded area.

PCSO says Harris matched one of the descriptions reported by the caller. When Harris was detained, deputies found a key to a BMW, which was found inside the home, and a Ford Truck, according to the arrest report.

To continue the search for the other suspect PCSO brought in a K-9 unit.

While the K-9 was searching for the other suspect, later identified as Buchler, he was found throwing dirt on himself in a gopher tortoise nesting area in an attempt to hide himself from the K-9.

In Florida, the gopher tortoise is declared threatened and it is illegal to kill, harass or destroy gopher tortoises, their eggs or burrows.

During the investigations, deputies say the owner of the home arrived and walked through the property identifying what went missing, including Snap-On tools, a motocross bike, jewelry and professional RC cars totaling more than $30,000.

Deputies located the truck used by the suspects and inside the vehicle, they located numerous items belonging to the owner.

During the search of the truck, deputies say they also found a firearm, hydrocodone and oxycodone pills as well as a substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine.

Harris was arrested and charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, two counts of burglary, two counts of burglary and damaging property. He was taken to the Putnam County Jail and held on $33,000 bond.

Buchler was arrested and charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, methamphetamine possession, two counts of larceny, two counts of drug possession and two counts of endangering a threatened species. He is held on $36,000 bond.

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