A 78-year-old Palm Coast resident was arrested on Saturday for allegedly following a realtor into a house and assaulting her, according to a report from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. Carlos Da Silva has been in jail for three days as of Tuesday, on one felony charge and one misdemeanor.
The realtor, representing Adams Homes, was reportedly at a home on Princeton Lane in Palm Coast’s P Section at the time of the incident. She was said to have seen Da Silva drive by in a gold SUV multiple times, waving at her at one point. At the end he parked in front of the house and got out. When the realtor informed him the open house wasn’t starting for 20 more minutes, Da Silva then reportedly followed her inside nonetheless.
During the interaction Da Silva is only said to have told the realtor his first name. He began asking real estate questions, the report said, and telling the realtor it wasn’t safe for her to be there alone. When he finally turned to leave, he’s said to have offered the realtor a handshake before pulling her against him and kissing her neck. She was reportedly able to fight him off, and Da Silva is said to have then left with one of her business cards.
The realtor reportedly took photos of Da Silva’s SUV as he departed, and then promptly called 911. Deputies identified him from the description and photos, and located him on Wellington Drive. They conducted a traffic stop, in which Da Silva reportedly told them he hadn’t stopped in the P Section that day. As the deputies questioned him, Da Silva then apparently changed his story, saying that he did stop to briefly speak to a woman. He reportedly admitted to entering the home and ‘pulling her in for a hug’ in the words of the FCSO report, and then leaving.
Upon making contact with Da Silva, deputies were able to obtain a positive identification from the realtor, who confirmed that he was the man who’d entered the home behind her earlier that day. He was arrested and charged with felony burglary of a dwelling with assault and battery, and misdemeanor simple battery. The first charge was considered a burglary due to the fact that the open house had not yet begun. Da Silva has no prior bookings into the county jail before the incident. He has been held in jail since Saturday on $5,000 bond.
I heard this the other day. Even though I definitely don’t agree with what this guy did. But IMO the charges are a bit of a stretch. So walking into a house uninvited is now considered felony burglary even though he didn’t remove anything from the house? And kissing someone on the neck without permission is an assault and battery even though the realtor wasn’t hurt. WOW, I guess the best thing is for everyone to never talk to anyone anymore because you might say the wrong thing and get arrested for it. You also can’t shake someone’s hand without getting arrested for assault. This is crazy. He’s get fined and most likely no jail time.