Florida Man Attempts To Steal A Generator Powering Traffic Light
If there was anything that we learned from Hurricane Milton, is how much we rely on power and electricity. With more than 3 million people left in the dark, Florida residents got creative with the ways they got their juice. Most people used generators, some went to a friend or family member’s home, and others traveled to places where power wasn’t an issue. All viable and LEGAL options. One thing you should NOT try and do, is try and steal power. Which is what one man allegedly tried to do. The craziest thing is what this man was attempting to steal. This Florida man attempts to steal a generator powering a traffic light.
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It all started when TECO Energy workers called the police about an incident that happened on the corner of Sun City Center Boulevard and Stoneham Drive. According to reports, the energy workers provided pictures, videos, and a man’s license plate who attempted to steal a generator that was placed there to power the traffic lights. So they tracked down the address associated with the license plate and responded to the home with a K-9 unit. That’s when police officers were introduced to 40-year-old, Soyal Zapata-Dye.
In the beginning, Zapata-Dye refused to come out of his home stating he was “fixing dinner”, but authorities ultimately detained him. Surprisingly, hen officers began questioning him, he did not deny the allegations. The entire interaction was actually caught on one of the police body cams.
In the video below, you can hear Zapata-Dye telling police “There’s a generator on 674 that I saw that…had no lock on it, and it was…it had no name on it, so I thought someone set it out,”
The explanation wasn’t good enough to keep Zapata-Dye from behind bars though. He was arrested on Sunday and charged with third-degree grand theft during a state of emergency.
Source: Fox News