2 arrested after elderly man tied up and robbed in Lake County

The Lake County Sheriff's Office arrested a man and woman after one allegedly posed as a police officer and then stole several items from the home of a disabled elderly man.

The events occurred on May 12 shortly after noon.

Marvin Bottom Jr. was at his Lake County mobile home when, according to an arrest affidavit, a woman who previously worked for him showed up at his door posing as a police officer who was going to arrest him for being a convicted felon in possession of a pistol.

“And when I went to sit down, she said I want you to stand up because I’m a police officer,” Bottom said. “I said you're not a police officer. You stole money from me.”

According to the arrest report, that woman was identified as Kayla Berlinski.

Bottom said Berlinski previously stole money from his home after hiring her to do work.

When he picked up his phone to call for help, Bottom said Berlinski pushed his head into the ground.

That's when detectives said a man, James Roher, entered the home and tied Bottom's hands behind his back with zip ties.

Bottom said Roher then threw two metal shelves at his legs so he wouldn't move.

“I was scared to death,” he said. “She turned around and kept saying, hurry up, we have to go.”

Bottom said Roher and Berlinski stole about $1,000 in cash, a .40-caliber pistol and several electronic gadgets.

Bottom said he was tied to the ground for two hours before being found by his caretaker.

Fortunately, there were cameras around his home, which helped detectives identify Berlinski and Roher.

According to the report, Berlinski could be seen leaving the house with a gray bag while Roher exited with what appeared to be tablet computers.

Both were arrested and face several charges, including armed home invasion, kidnapping and robbery.

Berlinski was arrested on May 13 and Rohrer last Tuesday.