LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Two men were arrested after a burglary at a Eustis hardware store last week was perpetrated with the help of a lawn mower tractor, according to the police department.
In an arrest affidavit, police said they responded to an Ace Hardware store along U.S. Highway 441 on Aug. 25 after receiving reports about the burglary.
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Upon arrival, detectives found what appeared to be “muddy tire marks from lawn mower tires” around the building, and a blue face mask was recovered near the tracks, the affidavit shows.
In addition, detectives said the fence at the corner of the property seemed to be cut open, with an opening large enough for someone to fit through. A surveillance camera on the property had also been sprayed with a “white substance” — most likely paint.
At the time, the store manager told investigators that the stolen goods included:
- Two pressure washers — $1,300 each
- A generator with a propane converter — $1,000
When police looked at the surveillance footage, they discovered that a suspect had ridden a lawn mower tractor to the store along the highway around 7:30 a.m., hauling a trailer all the while, the affidavit states. The suspect was described as follows:
“(The suspect) was a White male wearing a black shirt that had the words, ‘original recipe’ in red letters. The back of the shirt had a design of KFC chicken buckets. On the left side of the t-shirt arm, it had the ‘KFC’ initials. (He) was also wearing a hat, which was black on the front and white on the back. He was wearing light-colored pants, what appeared grey in color. He had blondish hair color and was of thin build.”
Arrest Affidavit by the Eustis Police Department
According to investigators, the suspect parked the trailer between the building and a pallet of mulch, and after he took a “pee break,” he pulled out the blue mask and sprayed down the surveillance camera.
Afterward, the suspect broke into the back of the store, taking several items and removing the generator, investigators added. He was then seen putting these items into the trailer.
Less than 30 minutes later, another suspect showed up at the business, and he helped the first suspect take two pressure washers to the trailer outside, police explained.
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The first suspect then drove off on the tractor, towing the trailer full of stolen goods away, though police weren’t able to discern where the second suspect went, the affidavit reveals.
Eustis police then spoke with a Mount Dora officer, discovering that there was a similar burglary at a local church involving a suspect aboard a mower, investigators said.
After speaking with someone from a local homeless camp, police said they were tipped off about a nearby resident named Joshua Reffitt, 41, who owned a lawn mower and had plenty of stolen goods at his home.
Upon further investigation, police said they determined that Reffitt and another man — Roy Perrott, 23 — were responsible for the burglary.
However, Reffitt denied taking part in the thefts. Instead, he claimed he had been dumpster-diving in the area and was only at the store to tell Perrott not to commit the burglary, the affidavit says.
But police said Reffitt was identified as one of the suspects on the surveillance footage by the tattoo on his arm, indicating that he was indeed burglarizing the store.
In addition, police stated that Reffitt had baggies of methamphetamine in his pockets at the time of his arrest. Meanwhile, the Ace Hardware store manager was successfully able to recover all of the stolen goods.
Now, Reffitt faces charges of criminal mischief, methamphetamine possession, grand theft, and burglary. He was released on Monday on bond of $10,500.
As for Perrott, he faces charges of grand theft, larceny, two counts of criminal mischief, and two counts of burglary. He is held on bond of $16,000.
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