A Florida man and woman are behind bars after a violent home invasion went awry on Friday.
According to investigators, on Friday at 2:30 p.m., Hernando County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the Trillium subdivision in Brooksville in reference to a possible physical altercation.
A witness who called 911 advised she observed a man covered in blood exiting a home, getting into a vehicle, and then leaving the scene.
Deputies located the vehicle on Ayers Road as it was exiting the subdivision.
Deputies conducted a traffic stop and noted a male passenger in the vehicle required immediate medical attention. Emergency medical personnel responded to the scene and transported the victim to an area trauma center for treatment of his injuries.
The driver of the vehicle advised she and a male friend went to the victim’s home to pick up her mail. The woman advised she had previously lived at the victim’s residence.
As she knocked on the door, the woman advised she could hear a muffled scream. Fearing for the victim’s safety the woman and her friend forced entry into the home through a front window.
The woman found the victim bound, gagged, beaten, and lying on the living room floor. One of the suspects who was found standing next to the victim, later identified as Bonnie Hartmann, advised she found the victim that way.
The woman quickly untied the victim and helped him outside of the residence and into her vehicle.
Deputies proceeded to the victim’s residence located on the 14000 block of Wake Robin Drive.
Deputies observed two witnesses standing in proximity to the victim’s home who were speaking to 911 dispatchers. The witnesses advised the suspects were still in the victim’s house.
Once a K-9 unit arrived on the scene, Hartmann exited the home without incident. A second suspect, later identified as Jonathan Rowe III, refused to exit.
Rowe climbed into the attic in an attempt to avoid capture. After more than an hour, deputies were able to observe Rowe passed out in the attic. Deputies were able to take Rowe into custody without further incident.
Investigation revealed Hartmann and Rowe had previously lived at the victim’s residence prior to being evicted in December 2020.
Hartmann told Deputies they went to the home to collect some belongings they had left behind. Entering the home through an unlocked door, Hartmann and Rowe proceeded to take various items from the home.
A loud noise caused the victim to wake up during the incident.
The victim told investigators that two individuals wearing masks proceeded to enter his room and start attacking him. The suspects used a crowbar and a wooden leg from a table to beat the victim.
During the altercation, the victim was able to remove Rowe’s mask. The victim advised he was then bound for at least a couple of hours. During that time, the victim advised he was repeatedly beaten and choked by the suspects as they discussed what they were going to do with him.
The victim was eventually able to remove his head covering. At that point, he was able to identify Hartmann, who was no longer wearing a mask, as the second suspect.
During that same timeframe, the doorbell rang. The victim began to scream for help. The man and woman who were ringing the doorbell eventually rescued the victim from the home.
Hartmann and Rowe were both arrested on charges of Home Invasion Robbery while Armed with a Deadly Weapon and Armed Kidnapping.
Both suspects were transported to the Hernando County Detention Center where Rowe is being held in lieu of an $85,000 bond.
Hartmann is being held without bond due to a Violation of Probation charge stemming from a previous arrest.
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