Two employees of a South Florida retirement community have been cuffed for allegedly breaking into a resident’s apartment and swiping valuables, local police said. The shocking breach of trust at Wynmoor Village in Coconut Creek, home to over 9,000 residents, has the victim’s family demanding answers after items worth up to $10,000 were reported missing.
According to WSVN, the suspects are 43-year-old O’Neil Elliott, the Director of Security, and Donald Fitch, a 75-year-old condo building manager. The duo was charged with burglary after purportedly entering John Agosta's unit on March 15, when the 83-year-old was rushed to the hospital following an accident. “The victim had a medical emergency, had to go to the hospital for a little while,” said Scotty Leamon of the Coconut Creek Police Department in an interview with the station.
Michael Agosta, the victim’s son, found his father's apartment "all disheveled" upon visiting and reported that his father’s safe was missing ammunition and coins. “They took it upon himself at that during this time when he was in medical distress, being transported to the hospital to search his car and his apartment for his weapon that he reported missing in 2022,” Michael told WSVN. The investigation into the alleged theft of the coins is still ongoing, and no charges have been brought in that regard.
Elliott also faces additional charges for allegedly snatching some ammunition. “He is also charged with taking some ammunition,” said Leamon. The pair were ordered to have no contact with Agosta, who is no longer hospitalized, nor return to the crime scene, as reported by Coconut Creek Talk.
The alleged burglary unfolded under the guise of securing a firearm the staff believed the resident owned, Coconut Creek Police allege. They said the staff members entered Agosta's abode without authorization to look for a gun based on a rumor from two years prior. Elliott and Fitch subsequently rummaged through the victim’s possessions, but the alleged search for the weapon turned up empty.
Michael Agosta, in the wake of the theft, has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help replenish his father’s savings. “He had invested in Silver Eagles, Morgan dollars, He had graded coins, all in his safe,” Michael described. “He never locked his safe, he never thought he had any reason the lock is safe.” Both employees have since been released from jail after posting bond, as reported by WSVN.
