Newberry Man Arrested for Burglary During Hurricane

NEWBERRY ‒ A 22-year-old man from Newberry, Kobe Deon Delima, was arrested on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, at 9:50 a.m., and charged with burglary of an unoccupied vehicle during a state of emergency following Hurricane Helene. He was also booked for an outstanding warrant related to the grand theft of a motor vehicle.

The arrest came after a Newberry woman reported seeing a man inside her car, which was parked in her driveway, around 9:15 a.m. The woman stated that the man did not have permission to be in the vehicle and appeared to be “sneaking around.” When she saw him, the man fled. The woman called out to a family member, who chased after the suspect.

The family member told Alachua County Sheriff's Deputies that he saw the man's face and believed he could identify him. The suspect was last seen running from the property, and later, authorities located Delima at his residence a few blocks away. The family member reportedly identified Delima as the individual inside the vehicle.

In addition to the burglary charge, Delima was booked on a warrant for the grand theft of a vehicle, which stemmed from an incident on Aug. 23, 2023. A body shop owner reported that someone broke into the business, stole several thousand dollars in cash, and took a red Volkswagen Jetta. Two days later, on Aug. 25, deputies found the Jetta parked behind a church in Newberry. Fingerprints recovered from the vehicle reportedly matched Delima’s, leading to the warrant for his arrest.

Delima has a criminal history that includes two felony convictions, one of which was violent, and two misdemeanor convictions, also including a violent offense. In 2022, Delima was arrested for fleeing law enforcement and a hit-and-run with property damage, though those charges were later dropped. While on pre-trial release in that case, he was arrested again in 2023 for smashing multiple car windows with a brick. He was placed on probation for 18 months after adjudication was withheld. However, after violating his probation by contacting the victim, he was sentenced to 21 days in jail, with credit for time served, and the terms of his probation were reinstated.

Six months later, Delima was arrested for battery, trespassing, and battery on a law enforcement officer. His probation was converted to house arrest, which he violated twice. As a result, in January 2024, he was sentenced to 180 days in jail, with credit for 159 days already served.

Delima is also facing a sworn complaint for voyeurism but has not yet been booked on that charge. Judge Meshon T. Rawls set bail at $60,000 for the current charges.

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