A 26-year-old Citra man was arrested by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office after he admitted to stealing copper wires from a local gas station.
On Saturday, January 21, several MCSO deputies responded to the Mobil gas station located at 18261 N U.S. Highway 301 in reference to a suspicious incident. A female reportee had informed the sheriff’s office that a male suspect was pulling on the panel box at the incident location, according to the MCSO report.
The reportee told MCSO that the male suspect was wearing blue jeans, a black shirt with white lettering on the back, and he was carrying a backpack.
Upon arrival at the gas station, the deputies observed that the electrical panel on the back of the building was open and the copper wires had been cut out of it. The deputies also observed that the copper wires from the building’s air conditioning unit were cut.
The MCSO report stated that a pair of red bolt cutters were spotted behind the building next to a green jacket. One of the deputies on scene conducted a search of the area and located a man, identified as Cody Lee Flood, near the intersection of NE 21st Court and NE 182nd Place.
The deputy observed that Flood was wearing an outfit that matched the reportee’s description of the suspect, and he also had a backpack.
Flood was detained by the deputy. After being read his Miranda rights, Flood admitted to cutting copper wire from the Mobil gas station. He stated that he had used bolt cutters, and he confirmed that the green jacket that was found near the building belonged to him.
Flood told the deputy that he had taken the copper wires to a location that was near the First Baptist Church of Citra located at 18280 N U.S. Highway 301. He claimed that two other individuals were there with him, but he did not know them.
During the interview, Flood denied stealing any copper from the gas station’s air conditioning unit.
The MCSO report stated that a pile of copper wires and tubing with “fresh cut marks” was located near the church. At the gas station, the report stated that a total of eight wires were cut out of the electrical meter box, two wires were cut out of a nearby breaker box, all the copper tubing was cut out of two air conditioning units, and there were three additional locations where copper tubing had been cut from the building.
The damages to the gas station were estimated at over $1,000, and the value of the stolen copper wires and tubing was estimated at $300.
Flood was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held on $3,000 bond. He is facing a felony charge for criminal mischief with property damage ($1,000 or more) and a misdemeanor charge for first degree petit theft (over $100 but less than $300).
A court date has been scheduled at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, February 21, according to jail records.