When a vehicle fled early Sunday morning from a Volusia County Sheriff's Office deputy, it wasn't just any vehicle.

The deputy recognized it as the Lexus SUV that law enforcement had been told to look for because of its connection to some recent crimes in Deltona. And when the SUV refused to stop and fled from the scene, the search didn't end there.

A deputy spotted fresh, muddy tire tracks leading directly into the driveway of 2981 E. Slater Drive, in Deltona. The ensuing investigation resulted in four arrests and the solving of at least two armed daytime burglaries, including a break-in last week at a house occupied by two frightened children cowering in a closet. Sheriff's Office investigators also recovered a stolen vehicle, three guns, jewelry and electronics.

The first armed burglary occurred on Thursday at a house on Captain Drive. The suspects started banging on the front door and then on a bedroom window. Apparently convinced that no one was home, the intruders broke in through a window. However, they fled empty-handed when they spotted the two children in the house — a 13-year-old girl and 10-year-old boy. The frightened children weren't able to give a detailed description of the suspects. However, they did take note of one critical clue — the white SUV in their driveway. The next afternoon, a Deltona homeowner left to run an errand. When she returned to her home on Croton Avenue, there was a white SUV backed into the driveway. As the homeowner pulled into her driveway, the SUV sped off quickly, cutting across the front yard to get away. The startled intruders quickly fled the neighborhood, making off with jewelry and a laptop computer. The crime was captured on the victims' surveillance system, including images of one of the suspects pulling out a gun while scanning the inside of the residence during the burglary. The surveillance system also captured the suspects once again knocking on doors and then breaking in after getting no answer.

On Friday, a bulletin was sent to all deputies to be on the lookout for the white SUV that was spotted at both crime scenes. Less than two days later, at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday, the SUV was spotted again in Deltona, this time by a deputy who saw it leaving the parking lot of a convenience store on Elkcam Boulevard. After deputies tracked the muddy tire marks to the house on East Slater Drive, they walked up the driveway toward the garage. The garage door was open just a few feet, and deputies could hear voices inside. But when they got closer, the garage door closed the rest of the way. So they put the house under surveillance while investigators obtained a search warrant. The first to come out of the house and be questioned was 18-year-old Kenneth Beauford, who lives at the home. He claimed that a friend had called to say that he was running from the police and asked him to open his garage so that he could hide his Lexus SUV from the deputies who were looking for him. Beauford claimed that after hanging out for a while, his friend had driven off. However, because deputies were watching the house, they knew that Beauford was lying and no one had left. Confronted with his lie, Beauford admitted that the SUV was still there and that he knew it was stolen and that his friends had been driving it for about a month and had used it to commit several crimes.

Deputies spent much of Sunday searching the house, interviewing witnesses, recovering stolen property and piecing the cases together, resulting in the following four arrests:

  • Kenneth Beauford, 18, of Deltona, charged with two counts of armed burglary. His bond was set at $100,000.
  • Javonte Porter, 20, of Deltona, charged with two counts of armed burglary. Bond was set at $100,000.
  • Jason Realford, 25, of Altamonte Springs, charged with fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, grand theft of a motor vehicle. His bond was set at $30,000.
  • Courtney Tillman, 21, of Altamonte Springs, charged with two counts of armed burglary. Bond was set at $100,000.

Investigators believe the defendants are responsible for at least two other burglaries. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are expected.