A suspect has been arrested in the theft of $3,500 worth of roofing tiles from a job site.
The theft occurred this past Saturday at a home under construction at 8051 Penrose Place at the Beaumont development on County Road 466A in Wildwood. The home is part of a KPL Villages LLC project.
Natanael Luna-Rodriguez, 34, of Leesburg, was spotted throwing the roofing tiles into the bed of his pickup, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department. When officers approached Luna-Rodriguez, he ran from the scene, leaving behind his pickup truck. Officers found $3,500 worth of bundles of roofing tiles in the bed of the truck.
Luna-Rodriguez showed up Tuesday at the Wildwood Police Department, looking for his pickup truck. He initially indicated it was stolen. During his interview at the police station, Luna-Rodriguez was wearing the exact same clothes he had been seen wearing on Saturday, the report noted. He eventually admitted his truck had not been stolen. He had left his phone in the truck.
Luna-Rodriguez was arrested on a felony charge of grand theft from a construction site. He is also facing a charge of trespassing. He was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center on $7,000 bond.
