A Panhandle man is accused of stealing lawn equipment from a booth at Renninger’s Farmers & Flea Market in Mount Dora.
Adam Patrick Sprague, 37, of Perry, was charged with burglary of an unoccupied structure and grand theft of $750 or more in connection with the Aug. 13 theft of a hedge trimmer and two pole saws with a total value of $750. A warrant for Sprague’s arrest was issued Sept. 1 and he was picked up Tuesday at the Polk County Jail.
Lake County sheriff’s deputies responded to Renninger’s, located at 200651 U.S. Hwy. 441, and observed surveillance video from the driveway and an aisle inside the flea market. The footage showed a white male, wearing blue jeans and a dark-colored T-shirt, get out of a Buick Rendezvous and enter the flea market, which was closed for business that day, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The suspect is seen on the video pulling away a draped covering from the victim’s booth before removing the equipment and placing it on the rear driver’s side seat of his vehicle. After loading the items, the suspect can be seen getting into the driver’s seat and driving away, the report said.
The vehicle’s license tag was expired and had previously been assigned to a trailer. A computer query of the tag number showed a similar vehicle with that number was involved in the sale of scrap metal at Inter-County Recycling in Leesburg on Aug. 29, according to the report.
An employee of Inter-County Recycling identified the suspect in the video as Sprague. He said Sprague provided his Florida ID card during the transaction and that he had personal interaction with him. A detective viewed security video provided by Inter-County Recycling from that day and observed the suspect was wearing similar-style clothing, had a similar distinct gait and was driving a Buick Rendezvous, the report said.
A criminal history search showed Sprague has multiple burglary and theft convictions. After his arrest in Polk County, he was brought to the Lake County Jail, where he is being held on $7,000 bond. Sprague is due to appear in Lake County Court on Oct. 24.
