HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. — Three men were arrested in Florida after deputies said they were seen using a saw to cut down and steal traffic lights.
The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that a detective driving home from an off-duty detail overnight Saturday saw a suspicious van. The van’s driver stopped near an intersection and turned off the vehicle’s headlights. The detective then said they saw sparks.
When more deputies arrived at the scene, they saw three men using a saw to cut traffic lights off the poles. Deputies said in the news release that the suspects had already put three traffic lights inside the van.
Deputies said that the men, identified as Aaron Ward, James Donnelly and Oleksiy Naumenko, were arrested on theft charges and admitted to stealing the lights. Each traffic light is valued at $5,000.
All three men were released from the Hernando County Detention Center on a $2,000 bond, according to online records.