Derrick Irving, 36, and John Silva, 28, were both arrested after attempting to steal from a home and then erase the evidence with a fire started by a burning pot of Ragu sauce, police said. (Volusia County Jail)
Two Florida men were caught with their hands in the pasta jar after they used Ragu sauce to try and burn down a home they robbed last week, police said.
Derrick Irving, 36, and John Silva, 28, were arrested March 13 after allegedly breaking into a home in DeLand and stealing a flat screen television and an air conditioning wall unit, WKMC-TV reported.
The man whose home was being burglarized received an alert on his phone from his residence’s security system informing him of motion being detected in the house, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said.
The suspects attempted to burn a jar of Ragu pasta sauce on the home’s stove top.
A towel was placed over the camera which gave him a clue that something was not right and he immediately called the police, according to WKMC-TV.
When police arrived at the home, they saw a red SUV trying to flee the residence, authorities said. The two suspects told officers they were picking up clothes from the house, police said. The victim told WKMC-TV that Irving was donning a bull onesie.
A deputy said there was an air conditioning unit, a vacuum, television, heater, a marijuana grinder and an empty jar of Ragu sauce inside the vehicle.
Deputies found the burning pot of Ragu sauce and a washcloth near the stove’s burner which appeared to be an attempt to start a fire, according to WESH-TV.
"He was trying to make it look like I left the stove on but who gets up at 2 a.m. and fixes sketti?" the victim told the WKMC-TV.
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Silva and Irving told officers they knew the victim due to past sexual encounters, authorities said.
"He was trying to make it look like I left the stove on, but who gets up at 2 a.m. and fixes sketti?"
"It started out as a relationship, that lasted about a week," the victim told WKMC-TV. "I've let him use my car for four months, maybe he's angry about that. Or maybe he's angry because I gave him $150 to fix his teeth."
Silva and Irving were both charged with “unarmed burglary, grand theft and arson,” the arrest affidavit stated.
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