EAST PALATKA, Fla. – Two St. Augustine men have been arrested and charged with burglarizing the Florida Power and Light substation in East Palatka.
Employees watching video surveillance cameras Sunday at the FPL office in Keystone Heights saw someone removing various items from within the fenced compound at the substation in East Palatka, Putnam County deputies said.
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Deputies who responded said 33-year-old Patrick Duff was standing outside a cut fence on the north side of the facility. He was detained by officers and informed them that a second person named Bubba was inside the fenced area, deputies said.
Several rolls of copper electrical wire had apparently been removed from inside the fenced area and were located outside near Duff, deputies said.
Deputies established a perimeter around the facility, and due to its location being adjacent to the river, the Marine Unit was deployed to patrol the waterway. K9 Units from the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office also responded to assist in the search.
The second person was not located at the scene, but investigative efforts identified him as 27-year-old Justin Osteen, deputies said. Osteen was later located by St. Johns County deputies at a home in St. Augustine. He agreed to be transported back to Putnam County to be interviewed by detectives.
After being interviewed, both men were arrested and booked into the Putnam County jail on charges of burglary and grand theft.