Man charged with stealing electrical wire

A Sebring man was arrested over the weekend for allegedly stealing $6,600 worth of spools of electrical wire from Sea Hawk Industries.

Gernold Anthony Lagree, 32, of 1311 Citrus Ave., Sebring, was charged with burglary of an unoccupied structure while unarmed, possession of burglary tools with the intent to use, grand theft of $5,000 or more but less than $10,000 and damaging property.

He remained in Highlands County Jail Monday under a $3,250 bond.

Sebring police officers were called out to Grand Avenue just after noon on Friday after a caller said they saw a man pushing a shopping cart full of spools of wire, according to the arrest report.

When officers spoke to the man, identified as Lagree, he told them he had found the wire in a Dumpster behind Club Mixx.

"Lagree further advised that he had been looking for cans, saw the spools of wire and climbed into the garbage Dumpster to retrieve them," Sebring Police Officer Viviane Buck wrote in the arrest report.

Police say Lagree also told them he'd found the shopping cart by the Dumpster and was planning to see if he could find someone who would buy the spools.

Officers checked the Dumpsters behind Club Mixx for any signs of the spools being in there, but with no luck, the report stated. The owner said no electrical work had been done and there should be no wire in the Dumpsters.

On the police records was a recent burglary that was reported at Sea Hawk Industries. The report says a man was brought to the scene and positively identified the shopping cart and spools of wire as belonging to the business, but it does not state whether he was a representative.

The total amount of the wire was listed at approximately $6,600.