Chad Michael Beaver found guilty of burglary and petit theft in Citrus County Circuit, Court

Photo courtesy of State Attorney's Office; defendant Beaver, in court, on left.

State Attorney's Office (SAO) Florida's Fifth Judicial Circuit Court
Marion, Lake, Citrus, Sumter and Hernando counties

Citrus County, Florida - On Wednesday, July 2, 2025, jurors in Citrus County Circuit Court in Inverness, Florida rendered a verdict of guilty against 42 year-old Chad Michael Beaver, in the courtroom of the Honorable Judge Joel D. Fritton, on charges of burglary of a dwelling and petit theft.

After jurors delivered their verdict to the court, Judge Fritton ordered Beaver into custody while a presentencing investigation is conducted. Beaver faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years in prison due to his Prison Releasee Reoffender status. The case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Kaitlyn Mannis and Tara Hartman.

On October 6, 2024, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office 911 Call Center received a call from the victim reporting that some items had been stolen from their home and observed at another residence in their neighborhood.

Deputies responded to the caller's location. The victim informed them, that five days earlier, a neighbor had contacted them, wondering if anyone was supposed to be at their residence collecting items. The victim informed the neighbor that no one should be taking items from their home. The neighbor, in turn, informed the two people at the victim's home, that the items stored in totes on the porch were not to be taken from the home. The two people were later identified as defendant Chad Michael Beaver and his codefendant April Lashanda Johnson.

Defendant Beaver allegedly told the victim's neighbor, that he thought the items had been discarded, because many people in the area were putting out items for trash collection after the recent hurricane had resulted in some of the homes being flooded. Defendant Beaver and the woman allegedly put some of the items back and then left the victim's residence.

The victim told deputies that they didn't know if anything had been stolen from their home, because their belongings had been packed into totes during their hurricane clean-up efforts. However, when they checked on another property they owned, the victim passed by a nearby home that was located off West Bayshore Drive in Crystal River, Florida, and noticed several items that clearly belonged to them, which included two unique crystal lamps, a Wizard of Oz-themed serving tray, and other unique memorabilia.

Deputies went to the residence the victim had identified, to question the homeowner about the stolen items being seen on their property. The homeowner told investigators, that Chad Michael Beaver and a woman named April Lashanda Johnson had brought the items to their home. Deputies determined, from speaking with April Lashanda Johnson, that she and Beaver had knowingly removed the items from the victim's home after being told by an unspecified person that the items had not been discarded of properly. As a result, defendant Beaver and his co-defendant Johnson were both arrested