Arrests made in Orange County clown-mask home invasion, deputies say

Four people have been arrested in connection with an Orange County home invasion in which the perpetrators wore clown masks and stole thousands of dollars from an elderly victim, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

“These four people are behind bars where they belong after they terrorized an elderly woman in East Orange County in December, startling her from sleep as they broke into her home, wearing clown masks and armed with a sledgehammer,” the sheriff’s office stated on a post to its Facebook page with mugshots of the four accused.

The sheriff’s office stated the victim was not harmed, but arrests were made last week in both Orange and Polk counties.

Jail records show Melissa Martinez, 23, or Orlando, Jaydie Cintron Mayoral, 24, of Frostproof and Shakira Rivera Colon, 26, of Frostproof, were arrested last Wednesday and booked into the Polk County Jail. The three were transferred and booked into the Orange County Jail on Monday.

Nelson Cruz Medina, 42, of Orlando, was booked into the Orange County Jail last Thursday.

All four were charged with home invasion robbery and grand theft of more than $20,000, jail records show. Martinez and Cruz Medina also were charged with dealing in stolen property and false verification of ownership at pawn shops in both Orange and Volusia counties.

“The worst part? One of the women involved in this heinous crime {Martinez] had worked as a caregiver for the victim’s husband, who recently died,” the sheriff’s office post stated.

All four suspects remain jailed as of Tuesday.