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Men steal sheriff’s office golf cart — but don’t know it has GPS tracker, Florida cops say

A trailer containing the stolen golf cart was surrounded, and the three men inside the vehicle were charged, the sheriff’s office said.
A trailer containing the stolen golf cart was surrounded, and the three men inside the vehicle were charged, the sheriff’s office said. Screengrab from Lee County Sheriff's Office Facebook video

Three men are accused of stealing a golf cart from a Florida road, likely without realizing it belonged to the local sheriff’s office, deputies said.

A Lee County Sheriff’s Office golf cart was “deployed” on a road when it was left unattended, according to a Nov. 29 news release.

Deputies, who can see the location of the golf cart with regular GPS updates, saw the cart start to move on its own, according to the release.

The GPS from the golf cart started to send a signal back to the deputies as it moved, WBBH reported, and they tracked the cart to neighboring Hendry County.

There, deputies from both counties surrounded a covered trailer driven by three men and served a warrant to take a look inside, deputies said.

Inside was the golf cart, as well as a boat motor and two GPS units that were previously reported missing in Charlotte County, according to the sheriff’s office.

The three men in the vehicle, ages 33, 38 and 43, were taken into custody and charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle for the stolen golf cart, as well as other theft charges for the other items, the sheriff’s office said.

Lee County is about 130 miles south of Tampa.

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This story was originally published November 30, 2023 at 1:29 PM with the headline "Men steal sheriff’s office golf cart — but don’t know it has GPS tracker, Florida cops say."

Irene Wright
McClatchy DC
Irene Wright is a McClatchy Real-Time reporter. She earned a B.A. in ecology and an M.A. in health and medical journalism from the University of Georgia and is now based in Atlanta. Irene previously worked as a business reporter at The Dallas Morning News.
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