A suspect has been arrested in connection with the theft of materials from a construction site in The Villages.
Shannon Scott Coleman, 39, of Wildwood, was driving an older white pickup truck around 3:30 a.m. on Thursday when a Wildwood Police officer noticed several pieces of plywood loaded in the truck’s bed. The officer initiated a traffic stop near the Village of Bradford.
When the truck stopped, two individuals jumped out and fled on foot. Coleman later returned to the truck, admitting he was driving it at the time. Upon inspection, the officer found nails and tools in the truck’s front passenger compartment. The bed of the truck contained plywood, drywall, and paint buckets.
Aware of a string of thefts from construction sites in the area, the officer suspected the materials had been stolen from a nearby development. Coleman claimed he had found the materials in a dumpster near Central Parkway in The Villages. However, authorities determined the stolen goods came from the new Village of Waters Edge construction sites.
Coleman was arrested on three counts of loitering. He was booked into the Sumter County Detention Center and later released after posting a $3,000 bond.
