Courtesy: Polk County Sheriff's Office.
LAKELAND, Fla. - A Lakeland man with 16 previous felonies is back behind bars after detectives linked him to a string of robberies involving lawn equipment and power tools across Polk County, according to the sheriff's office.
Detectives say that Randy Whitfield, 59, would cut through fences of commercial properties at night, wearing a mask and gloves, and load equipment into his truck.
The investigation began on February 9 after a lawn business on Combee Road South was robbed of nearly $14,000 worth of backpack blowers, hedge trimmers, weed eaters and edgers.
Security cameras on the property captured a white Ford F-150 at the scene and investigators later linked Whitfield to it after records showed he had been arrested by Plant City Police in January for similar crimes.
Dig deeper:
On Monday, a burglary was reported at a Lakeland public works facility. This prompted PCSO detectives to execute a search warrant at Whitfield’s apartment on East Lime Street.
That's where they found Whitfield walking to his truck with two saws that were stolen from the public works site.
Whitfield initially told detectives that he had been selling the stolen tools at a flea market before invoking his right to remain silent, according to the sheriff's office.
Once they entered his apartment, detectives say they found a "large quantity" of stolen tools, along with some methamphetamine and Alprazolam.
Whitfield is facing a total of 33 criminal charges, ranging from first-degree misdemeanors to second-degree felonies.
What they're saying:
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd noted that the work by his detectives helps keep crime low across the county.
"My detectives solved a burglary trend through hard work, thorough analysis, and cooperation with other agencies," said Sheriff Grady Judd. "This is why crime in Polk County is at an all-time low — we study crime patterns and trends and put the people who are committing the crimes in jail."
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Polk County Sheriff's Office.