Lutz Man Used 9 Iron To Chase Off Burglar

A Land O’ Lakes man was arrested by the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office this week after he broke into a home in Lutz, where he was confronted by a man with a golf club, deputies say.

Pasco deputies says Vitaliy Morozov, 23, broke the rear window of an Avonwood Court home while the victim and his wife were inside the house and entered the bedroom around 1:15 a.m. on Monday, according to a detective’s report.

Morozov rummaged through the drawers of a bedroom dresser and was discovered by the victim, the report said. The victim hit him with a nine iron as the man attempted to flee out the window, the report states. Morozov ran from the scene but did not take any of the victims' belongings, according to deputies.

A patrol deputy located the suspect in a nearby store parking lot shortly after the crime was reported. He was sweating and showed signs of getting hit in the back with a golf club.

The victim said he was "75 percent sure" Morozov was the suspected burglar.

The deputy did not have enough evidence to prove probable cause, so the arrest was not made at that time.

However, Morozov of 23 Rothenfeld Court, was arrested later after further investigation and was charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling.

He was released from the Land O’ Lakes Jail on $10,000 bail.