Staff report

WALDO, Fla. – Ernesto Del Carmen Cruz, 37, was arrested yesterday in Waldo and charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle that was stolen earlier in the day in an armed carjacking in Plant City. A charge of armed carjacking is reportedly pending from Plant City Police Department.

Plant City PD notified Alachua County Sheriff’s Office yesterday at about 2:57 p.m. that they were actively pinging a stolen Toyota Camry in the 14700 block of Weeks Street in Waldo; the car had reportedly been stolen in an armed carjacking at about 9:13 a.m. that morning. Plant City PD updated the location to the 14400 block of NE 148th Avenue.

While patrolling the area around Waldo Elementary School, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy saw a white Toyota traveling south on NE 143rd Terrace. He verified that the tag was the same as the one on the stolen car and initiated a traffic stop.

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Cruz reportedly got out of the car with his hands raised and was arrested without incident; Cruz reportedly said at the time that the car belonged to his uncle. In a post-Miranda interview, Cruz reportedly admitted stealing the car and said he had a knife with a taped handle but did not remember using the knife to force the vehicle theft.

The report notes that Cruz has no ties to the local area and is currently homeless. The arrest report did not indicate that he provided any U.S. identification and only noted that he was born in Mexico.

Cruz has four felony convictions (one violent) and three misdemeanor convictions (none violent). He has an out-of-state criminal history going back to 2017, a Florida criminal history in other counties going back to 2022, and an active warrant out of Michigan. Judge Walter Green set bail at $15,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.