Accused burglar arrested by local police

Police notified Historic City News that a St Augustine resident was awaken Tuesday morning at about 4:00 a.m. to the sound of someone breaking into his home on Anastasia Island.

The victim gave chase, but lost the intruder as he ran away. Police collected statements from the victim and a witness, including a description of the intruder and the property stolen during the break-in.

Officers from the St. Augustine Police Department observed a woman acting suspiciously and standing in the doorway of one of the guestrooms at the Seabreeze Motel.

Because of the early hour and close proximity to the victim’s home, officers approached the woman to determine if she had observed any activity around the motel. Police obtained permission to look inside the motel room, where the located 25-year-old Matthew Joel Zwally.

Zwally closely matched the description of the burglar given to police by the victim and witness. Zwally also was in possession of items of property taken from the crime scene. The victim and witness were able to identify Zwally as the man who broke in to home that night.

A search warrant was obtained and more evidence was recovered; including a cell phone taken in a theft from an unlocked vehicle previously reported to police.

Zwally, who resides at 30 Hawaiian Boulevard at St Augustine Beach, was arrested for burglary to an occupied dwelling, burglary to a vehicle, possession of cocaine, giving false information to a law enforcement officer and on an active St. Johns County warrant for violation of probation.

Police suspect that Zwally, or the woman found with him at the motel, may be involved in other thefts in the area. If you have been the victim of a recent theft from your vehicle, hotel, or home, St Augustine Police are asking for you to report the crime and be prepared with accurate descriptions, serial numbers, or digital photographs of the stolen property.