Lawtey man arrested for burglarizing house through dog door, shooting at resident

Staff report

Updated on April 13 with Acta’s criminal history.

Updated on April 20 with pre-trial detention information.

ALACHUA, Fla. – Wilton Robert Acta, 52, of Lawtey, was arrested early yesterday morning after allegedly breaking into a house through a dog door and then taking a revolver from a resident on the property and shooting at her.

At about 3 a.m. on April 11, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a home in the 26000 block of CR 239, where surveillance video reportedly showed Acta walking up the driveway of the house, breaking the door handle of the front door, and eventually entering the house through a large dog door; the video later showed him walking off the property with a gun.

Acta allegedly walked through the house and was seen by two people inside the house; one of the people left the house, screaming for help, and told a woman in a nearby camper that he was being chased. The woman picked up a .357 revolver, confronted Acta, and then began arguing with him; she told the deputy that Acta overpowered her and took the revolver.

A deputy located Acta about a quarter mile south of the house and reported that as he approached, Acta discarded something that appeared to be a gun. The deputy told Acta to stop and show his hands, but Acta allegedly continued walking toward the deputy, so the deputy deployed his taser and detained Acta.

The deputy reported that a .357 revolver was found near where Acta was located, and there were multiple spent casings in the revolver.

Post Miranda, Acta reportedly admitted entering the house through a dog door without permission and said he left after he realized he was at the wrong house.

In a separate interview with detectives, Acta reportedly said he was confronted by a woman with a gun as he was leaving the house, and when she pointed the gun at him, he took it from her. He reportedly said he fired two rounds at the woman from five to 10 feet away, with the rounds passing about four inches from her body on each side. Acta reportedly said he had taken methamphetamines “four days ago,” and he went to the house to meet a woman but could not provide any contact information for her; nobody on the property matched the name he provided.

Acta has been charged with attempted homicide by committing a felony that could cause death, burglary of an occupied dwelling, and resisting an officer without violence; the deputy included armed robbery in the probable cause section of the arrest report, but that charge is not listed in court records. Acta was also booked on a warrant for failing to appear at a hearing on an Alachua County charge of driving without a valid license.

Acta has two felony convictions. Judge David Kreider ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s Office to hold him without bail until trial. On April 20, Judge Robert Groeb granted the motion and ordered him held without bail until trial.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.