VCSO: Man Steals $62.5K In Brass Sprinkler Heads From DeLand Fernery

Posted

DeLand, FL - A man was arrested on Wednesday after deputies say he stole $62,500 worth of brass sprinkler heads from a fernery in DeLand, causing the fernery to lose $30,000 in ferns just before the business's Valentine's Day rush. Volusia County Sheriff's Office (VCSO) says 21-year-old Anthony Markgraf, of Paisley, FL, is now behind bars after he stole the sprinklers from John Puckett Ferneries, located off of Rich Fern Rd. and West Plymouth Ave. in DeLand. There was a total of 2,500 sprinkler heads stolen. 60 of those were operational in the field, and the rest were inside a barn, according to VCSO. The loss of the sprinkler heads resulted in water loss that caused catastrophic damage to the ferns, which were wilted and brown. After the theft was reported on January 31, deputies began calling local scrap metal yards to see if anyone had been trying to sell the sprinkler heads. One of the scrap metal yards told deputies that the suspect, Markgraf, had scrapped several 5-gallon buckets of sprinklers on two occasions. Officials caught up with Markgraf and his girlfriend, Jamie Shipp, on Wednesday evening. Shipp was found with stolen credit cards. Markgraf and Shipp were both wanted on additional charges in a separate case involving stolen wire and polymers from a DeLand Duke Energy substation. Markgraf was held on $75,000 bond. He faces charges of multiple counts of grand theft, dealing in stolen property, violations of the second-hand metal recycler act, burglary, and criminal mischief. Shipp was held on $20,000 and is charged with grand theft and possession of stolen credit cards.

(Markgraf's mugshot courtesy Volusia County Jail)

(Shipp's mugshot courtesy Volusia County Jail)

Photo of sprinkler heads courtesy VCSO's social media. Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2018.
featured