OKEECHOBEE — Terrella Kelley was sentenced to six months in county jail after pleading no contest to possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. Kelley was arrested in April 2021 when the man she was with, Philip Bullington, reportedly tried to steal tools from his employer.

On Tuesday, April 17 at approximately 7:30 p.m., Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Deputy Richard Varnadore was dispatched to a home on Northwest 176th Avenue in response to a burglary in progress.

When he arrived, the homeowner told him he hired Bullington to lay tile in the home he was building but when he arrived, no work had been done and Bullington was acting strange. According to the arrest report, he walked over to Bullington’s vehicle and noticed his own personal property was inside. Kelley was in the vehicle at the time as well.

As Varnadore spoke to the homeowner, Bullington reportedly yelled, “I wasn’t stealing the items. I was only taking them to sell them so I could give you the money so you could pay me for my work.”

A search of the vehicle reportedly revealed approximately $1,300 worth of tools belonging to the homeowner, an Alprazolam pill, methamphetamine and a glass pipe.

Kelley said she knew nothing about the theft and had come with Bullington to lay tile. She said she sat in the vehicle as Bullington loaded the items and claimed the drugs belonged to him as well. However, she did admit to using meth earlier in the day.

Bullington was charged with two counts burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, grand theft, possession of methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia. His case is still making its way through the court system.