A Florida man’s plan to snag a free jet ski trailer fell apart when deputies pulled the security footage. What he apparently assumed was abandoned property turned into multiple felony charges within days.
According to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, on August 30, deputies responded to a victim after he reported his jet ski trailer had been stolen from the boat ramp at Herschel King Park in Palm Coast.
The victim explained that one of the trailer’s axles had broken about a week earlier, and he’d gotten permission from the Flagler County Parks and Recreation Department to leave it at the park while he tracked down replacement parts. When he came back to fix it, the trailer was gone.
Security camera footage from the park showed a Jeep pickup truck pulling an empty trailer into the park on the night of August 26. The footage showed the driver heading straight to the victim’s trailer, loading it onto the empty one, and driving off.
License Plate Cameras Cracked the Case
With help from the Real Time Crime Center, deputies quickly identified the suspect’s vehicle after it was picked up by an automatic license plate reader in the area shortly before the theft happened. That led deputies to identify the suspect as 70-year-old Jonah Depeters of Palm Coast.
On September 2, deputies went to Depeters’ home in the BL-Section of Palm Coast. When confronted, it was confirmed that he was the only person with access to the Jeep seen on camera driving away with the trailer.
The Trailer Was Already Being Taken Apart
Deputies found the trailer in pieces in Depeters’ backyard, where he had already started stripping it for parts. He told deputies he believed the trailer had been abandoned, since the victim had removed the license plate before leaving it at the park.
After further investigation, deputies and General Assignment Unit detectives arrested Depeters the next day on charges of grand theft between $750 and $5,000 and criminal mischief over $1,000. He was booked into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and later released on a $5,000 bond.
The Sheriff Gave Credit
Sheriff Rick Staly pointed to the case as an example of how quickly automatic license plate readers can help crack a theft case.
“We solved this case and arrested the thief in less than 72 hours,” Staly said. “If it wasn’t for this technology, this case would have never been solved and is an example of how important the legal use of this technology in keeping our community safe.”
Staly also credited the department’s detectives and analysts with moving quickly once they identified the vehicle.