Marion County sheriff’s deputies have arrested a pair of suspects in connection with a burglary at a lawn equipment dealership in Ocala.
A tip had been received indicating that 47-year-old Raymond Platt and 49-year-old Ronnie Lee Lumley were planning a burglary at Allen Farm and Lawn Equipment located at 5455 U.S. Hwy. 441.
A phone call from Platt was received at the business a day before the planned burglary, asking for the dimensions of the Husqvarna zero-turn lawn mowers in stock, so he and Lumley could bring a big enough trailer to transport mowers they planned to steal, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Detectives set up surveillance around the dealership Wednesday evening and were able to watch Platt and Lumley commit the burglary at approximately 4 a.m.Thursday. Multiple detectives converged on them as they were loading a Husqvarna zero-turn mower in their trailer and they were taken into custody. Lumley told detectives that Platt was the “mastermind” behind the operation and Platt declined to speak with detectives.
According to the Florida Department of Corrections, Platt has an extensive criminal history, spanning throughout eight different jurisdictions in the state of Florida. Since 1989, he has 52 total arrests and 108 charges to include burglary, petit and grand theft, trafficking in stolen property, uttering forgery and fraud by wire. Platt and Lumley were booked at the Marion County Jail and are being charged with burglary and grand theft. Platt is additionally being charged with one count of possession of burglary tools as bolt cutters that were found in his vehicle at the scene.