Daily Commercial

Daily Commercial

MINNEOLA -- A city truck valued at $25,000, three city tool bags worth $500 each and a set of keys containing keys belonging to every city building in Minneola were stolen from the city's Water Treatment Plant sometime over the weekend.

Corporal Jim Vachon with the Lake County Sheriff's Office said the exact day and time have yet to be determined.

On Monday, however, city officials, led by City Manager Sam Oppelaar, spent most of the day securing the city's offices.



"We're re-keying as we speak. We're re-keying the whole city," Mayor Dave Yeager said late Monday afternoon.

Vachon said the unknown suspect(s) gained access to the facility by cutting a hole in a fence on the premises that leads to the Florida Turnpike. The hole, cut between the County Road 561A bridge and Florida Turnpike mile marker 280.4, was spotted by LCSO detectives at the scene after the incident was reported early Monday.

Vachon said no damage was reported to the plant, which is on Scrub Tree Lane.

According to a sheriff's report, Public Works Director Mark O'Dell said that when he reported to work at the plant at 8 a.m., he was advised of a break-in and the missing tools by other employees already on site.

The report states that it was at that time that O'Dell looked over to where his assigned truck, a white 1999 Ford 4X4 pick-up was missing from the front of the building where he had left it parked on Friday.

"The complainant stated that he was the last person to drive the vehicle on July 10, and had left it parked in front of the two roll-up doors in front of the water treatment plant. The complainant stated he had left the keys to the vehicle in the front seat when he got out because he was running late for a doctor's appointment," the report reads.

According to the report, five other water treatment plant employees are being interviewed by LCSO officials to determine a time line to when the thefts occurred.

The charges on the report include trespassing, burglary, grand theft larceny and third-degree vehicle grand theft.

Yeager said that this incident marks the second break-in to the water treatment plant that has resulted in a stolen vehicle.

Vachon said the investigation remains open.

Vachon said LCSO does not have any suspects or further information and asked that anyone who does contact Detective Glenn Connelly, from LCSO's Minneola sub-station, at (352) 243-0668.