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Deputies: Man followed girl inside home and grabbed her on Christmas Eve

Deputies say the girl's father chased him away, but he showed up at another house 40 minutes later.

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A 21-year-old man was trying to break into homes on Christmas Eve, according to a Facebook post from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office – but what he’s accused of doing around 6 p.m. on a quiet street in the Ormand beach was much worse.

Deputies say Steven Hasugulgum was outside a home, when an 11-year-old girl opened her home’s sliding glass door and stepped outside.

The girl told investigators Hasugulgum put his finger to his lips to ‘shh’ her – then followed her inside and grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him.

Deputies say the girl’s father heard a noise and chased Hasugulgum out of the house – but not before his face was captured by a home surveillance camera.

Deputies knew what he looked like but had no idea where he was.

They set up a perimeter and used a K-9 to track him.

Then, about 40 minutes later, deputies say Hasugulgum showed up at a woman’s front door a couple blocks away.

She told deputies he was twisting her locked doorknob, and when she opened the door to find out why – Hasugulgum was holding a hammer and acting ‘erratically.’

The woman slammed the door and set off her SUV’s panic alarm after deputies say Hasugulgum tried to open it.

Deputies caught a break around 7:26 p.m.

They say Hasugulgum showed up on another nearby street and they arrested him.

He’s facing several charges – burglary with battery, attempted burglary of an occupied dwelling and attempted burglary of an unoccupied conveyance.

Deputies say Hasugulgum lives in Daytona Beach but is a Micronesian citizen.

He was being held on a $20,000 bond.

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