A Florida man from Sun City Center was arrested on Sunday after allegedly attempting to steal a generator powering a traffic light, likely damaged in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, according to authorities.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office reported that Soyal Zapata-Dye, 40, was charged with third-degree grand theft during a state of emergency.
The incident unfolded when TECO Energy workers captured photos of a man attempting to take a generator placed at the intersection of Sun City Center Boulevard and Stoneham Drive. The workers provided the sheriff’s office with both photographic evidence and the suspect’s license plate number.
Using the information, deputies traced the vehicle to Zapata-Dye’s residence. Accompanied by a K-9 unit, they went to his home to investigate.
Body camera footage shared by the sheriff’s office on Facebook shows deputies arriving at Zapata-Dye’s home. When asked to come outside, he initially refused, explaining that he was in the middle of preparing dinner. However, deputies approached him at the door and placed him in handcuffs, explaining that he was being detained for questioning.
During the interaction, a deputy mentioned that witnesses had likely seen him engaged in some questionable activity. In response, Zapata-Dye explained that he noticed the generator was unattended and without a lock, leading him to believe it was free to take. “There’s a generator on 674 that I saw that…had no lock on it, and it was… it had no name on it, so I thought someone set it out,” Zapata-Dye said in the footage.
Zapata-Dye was subsequently arrested and charged with third-degree grand theft, a serious offense, particularly during a state of emergency declared in the wake of Hurricane Milton.
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