Douglas Karst, 53, of Leesburg, was sentenced this past week to 90 days in jail after pleading guilty to a drug charge. The sentence comes after Karst, who has an extensive criminal history, was arrested earlier this year with fentanyl in his possession. He was credited with 43 days already served, meaning he will serve the remainder of his sentence in Lake County Jail.
However, Karst’s legal troubles are far from over. He is still facing serious charges in connection to a 2023 theft in The Villages, where he allegedly targeted renters in the Village of Duval.
In January 2023, a couple renting a home on Hollyberry Place had left for a golf outing, leaving the wife’s purse behind in the home. Upon returning, they discovered that their key fobs and the wife’s purse, containing credit cards and gift cards, were missing. Notably, there were no signs of forced entry into the property. The key to the home had been accessed from a lockbox, which was used by the property’s cleaning crew, handymen, and the property management company, Remax.
A breakthrough in the case came when the woman noticed that her debit card had been used at a McDonald’s restaurant in Leesburg. Surveillance footage from both the gates in The Villages and the McDonald’s led detectives to identify Douglas Karst as a suspect. A neighbor had also recalled seeing a blue Hyundai at the rental home, which appeared out of place.
Further investigation revealed that Karst had a criminal history, prompting authorities to issue a warrant for his arrest. Karst was arrested in March 2023, and he faces charges of larceny, burglary, and fraud related to the Hollyberry Place theft.
Though Karst is serving time for the drug charge, his trial for the theft case in The Villages is still pending.
