TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Hillsborough County man was arrested Sunday after deputies say he tried to steal a generator that was supposed to power one of the county’s traffic lights.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said TECO workers stopped Soyal Zapata-Dye as he tried to take a generator from the corner of Sun City Center Boulevard and Stoneham Drive.
Before the suspect drove away, the workers got pictures of Zapata-Dye and his license plate, deputies said.
The responding deputies found the suspect at his home while he made dinner. In body cam video released by the sheriff’s office, Zapata-Dye said he didn’t see a name or lock on the generator so he thought he could take it.
The sheriff’s office said instead, all he got was a charge of grand theft of the third degree during a state of emergency, which carries a harsher legal penalty than grand theft committing outside states of emergency.