Man Arrested in Boca Raton After Series of Vehicle Burglaries, Clubhouse Break-In

Cory Hill (Photo: Palm Beach County Jail)

A California man was arrested Sunday after police said he broke into several vehicles and a condominium clubhouse in Boca Raton, then was found with a handgun, burglary tools and suspected fentanyl when he was taken into custody.

Cory Hill, 39, of Anaheim, Calif., faces multiple felony charges, including armed burglary of a dwelling or structure, three counts of armed burglary of a conveyance, being armed during the commission of a felony, grand theft auto, criminal mischief over $1,000, possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted felon, possession of burglary tools, and possession of fentanyl and liquid THC, according to the Boca Raton Police Department.

Officers were called to the San De Vance Condominiums in the 200 block of NW 67th Street around 4:15 p.m. Sunday after a resident reported someone breaking into vehicles in the parking lot, police said in a probable cause affidavit filed in court this week.

According to the arrest report, one resident told officers a neighbor alerted him that an unfamiliar person was inside his gray Kia SUV. When the resident confronted the man, police said, the suspect was holding a screwdriver and appeared to be trying to start the vehicle before running off westbound with two backpacks. The report said the vehicle’s ignition was damaged, causing roughly $3,000 in damage, though nothing was reported stolen from it.

Two other residents told police that someone had tried the door handles of their vehicles – a blue GMC SUV and a gray Ford Mustang – but nothing was taken. A fourth resident told officers she had left her purse on her kitchen counter and later found it on the floor of a clubhouse restroom with its contents spilled out. Police said an iPhone 13 valued at about $300 and a pink Canon digital camera valued at about $200 were missing from the purse.

The clubhouse’s property manager told police the suspect was not authorized to be inside the building, according to the report.

Investigators said one witness saw an unfamiliar person get into a resident’s vehicle and described him as a white male wearing a black hat, black jacket, black shorts and black shoes. A second witness who had Ring camera and surveillance footage told police the footage showed the same man attempting to enter multiple vehicles before eventually getting into the Kia through a passenger door and running off with two backpacks. That witness also provided a photograph allegedly showing the man forcing his way into the clubhouse with a tool, police said.

Officers later detained a man matching the description a short distance away, on NW 2nd Avenue, and a responding officer identified him as Hill, police said. According to the report, Hill was advised of his constitutional rights and declined to answer questions before being arrested.

A search of Hill’s backpacks conducted at the time of the arrest turned up a 9 mm handgun, bolt cutters, multiple screwdrivers, knives, a hammer, wrenches, a drill and a flashlight, according to police. Officers said a search of the flashlight turned up two bags containing a total of roughly 3.3 grams of a substance believed to be fentanyl, along with a glass pipe with a small amount of residue that also tested positive for fentanyl. A cartridge containing about 17.3 grams of a wax-like substance also tested positive for THC, police said.

Police said Hill’s wallet contained a Social Security card, an EBT card and several credit cards that did not belong to him, along with the pink Canon camera reported missing by the fourth resident.

Hill was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail, where he remained lodged on Tuesday in lieu of $74,000 combined bail on 11 separate charges.