Man faces three felony charges after onion theft

DOVER — A weekend incident left a farm worker facing three felony charges — all, deputies say, over onions.

Close to midnight Sunday, deputies say the man snuck onto Parkesdale Farm, 3914 Tanner Road.

That would eventually lead to the first charge: trespassing on a commercial horticulture property.

The man started stealing onions, deputies say: $250 worth of veggies, with additional damage to $100 of the crop.

Second charge: grand theft.

But the man wasn't alone in the fields that night. A farm owner spotted and confronted him, according to an arrest report.

The man ran to his vehicle and left. But as he did, the report stated that he drove toward the farm owner, who jumped out of the way.

Third charge: aggravated assault with a motor vehicle.

The owner, who deputies did not identify in the report, followed the man back to his residence on Mayo Ares Lane. That's where Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies arrested 30-year-old Odilon Mendoza-Simon.

Listed in jail records as a laborer for Fancy Farms in Plant City, Mendoza-Simon posted $6,000 bond and was released Sunday from Hillsborough County jail.

Stephanie Wang can be reached at swang@tampabay.com or (813) 661-2443.