A Palm Coast man is facing multiple felony charges after Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies said he stole a disabled personal watercraft trailer from a park and was caught a few days later.
On Monday, deputies responded to Herschel King Park. According to a news release, the victim had left the trailer at a boat ramp after one of its axles broke. He said he contacted the Flagler County Parks and Recreation Department and received permission to store the trailer there temporarily while he gathered parts to repair it. When he returned to fix it, the trailer was gone.
Deputies reviewed security footage from the park showing a Jeep pickup truck arriving the night of Aug. 26, pulling an empty trailer. The suspect drove directly to the victim’s trailer, loaded it, and drove away, the news release states.
Using the Real Time Crime Center and an automatic license plate reader that had captured the Jeep in the area before the theft, investigators identified Jonah Depeters, 70, as the suspect. When deputies visited his Palm Coast home on Wednesday, they found the trailer dismantled in his backyard. Depeters told deputies he thought the trailer had been abandoned because the victim had removed its license plate before leaving it at the park, the news release states.
“We solved this case and arrested the thief in less than 72 hours,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “This case is a prime example of how ALPR technology has assisted our agency in solving crimes quickly and apprehending criminals.”
Staly added the technology was pivotal to the outcome.
“If it wasn’t for this technology, this case would have never been solved and is an example of how important the legal use of this technology is in keeping our community safe and in this case quickly recovering stolen property,” he said. “I commend our detectives and our analysts in our Real Time Crime Center for quickly solving another case.”
Depeter was booked into the Flagler County Jail on charges of grand theft ($750–$5,000) and criminal mischief (over $1,000). He was later released on bond.