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Published on Wednesday, December 8, 2004
in the Lakeland Ledger
LAKELAND -- When Florida Highway Patrol pilot Sgt. Carlos Badia receives signals on stolen property, it usually means he has picked up the trail of a stolen car.
But a signal Tuesday afternoon led to an unexpected find: a $25,000 stolen generator in the back yard of an abandoned house in rural Lakeland.
The generator, which was reported stolen Nov. 22 from Maronda Homes in Winter Haven, turned up after Badia locked in on the signal from its LoJack System, a theft recovery mechanism that sends signals to law enforcement agencies.
Maronda Homes was renting the 45,000-watt generator from United Rentals.
The generator ended up at a dilapidated house at 4026 W. Bella Vista St.
The house was abandoned after the hurricanes that hit Polk County earlier this year, according to Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Larry Coggins. United Rentals representative Jim Anderson, who picked up the generator at the Bella Vista Street house, said he is thankful the FHP pilot discovered the stolen property.
Coggins said it was lucky the generator was found.
"The city had red-tagged the house because it could have no power until improvements are made," he said. "It's a wonder it didn't burn down."
The generator pumped enough power into the old farmhouse to light the entire street, Anderson said.
A conventional generator provides several thousand watts less power.
Officers searched the home and found Jennifer Jewell, 25, of Bartow, and Joseph Russian, 20, of Eagle Lake, sleeping on a mattress in an upstairs bedroom.
The pair was unaware the generator had been stolen and found it in a shed, then had a friend hook up power to the house from the back yard, Coggins said.
The two were not charged, Coggins said.
Whomever took the generator could face face grand theft and other charges, Coggins said.