| Probable cause affidavit: |
SUBMITTED By: PARSONS, WILLIAM 0358 (AR12-635) did unlawfully traffic in or endeavor to traffic in property that THE DEFENDANT knew or should have known was stolen, to wit: BRASS FUSE ENDS, the property of CRYSTAL RIVER QUARRIES, in violation of Florida STATE Statute 812.019(1). DID UNLAWFULLY AND KNOWINGLY OBTAIN, USE OR ENDEAVOR TO OBTAIN OR USE THE PROPERTY OF THE VICTIM, TO WIT: BRASS FUSE ENDS, OF THE VALUE OF THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($300.00) OR MORE, BUT LESS THAN FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($5,000.00), WITH THE INTENT TO EITHER TEMPORARILY OR PERMANENTLY DEPRIVE THE VICTIM OF A RIGHT TO THE PROPERTY OR A BENEFIT THEREOF, OR DID APPROPRIATE THE SAID PROPERTY TO HIS OWN USE OR THE USE OF ANY PERSON NOT ENTITLED THERETO, IN VIOLATION OF FLORIDA STATE STATUTE 812.014(2)(C)(1). ON 040412, I RESPONDED TO 7040 NORTH SUNCOAST BOULEVARD IN CRYSTAL RIVER IN REFERENCE TO A GRAND THEFT. UPON ARRIVAL, I MADE CONTACT WITH THE COMPLAINANT, MR ED COLITZ, WHO ADVISED SOME UNKNOWN PERSON OR PERSONS ENTERED THE CRYSTAL RIVER QUARRIES AND REMOVED SOME OF HIS PROPERTY WITHOUT PERMISSION. MR COLITZ, ONE OF THE OWNERS OF THE QUARRY, TOOK ME TO AN AREA IN THE MINE KNOWN AS THE BONE YARD. THE BONE YARD IS AN AREA THAT THEY STORE OLD VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT THEY NO LONGER USE BUT ARE KEPT FOR PARTS. MR COLITZ SHOWED ME AN OLD CHEVROLET BLAZER THAT HAD THE CARBURETOR AND THE RADIATOR REMOVED BY THE SUSPECT/SUSPECTS. HE ALSO SHOWED ME AN INTERNATIONAL TRUCK THAT HAD THE WIRING HARNESS REMOVED BY THE SUSPECT/SUSPECTS. WHILE I WAS WALKING THE AREA, I DISCOVERED SEVERAL FIVE INCH BY TWO INCH FUSES THAT WERE DISMANTLED. I ASKED MR COLITZ WHERE THESE ARE FROM AND HE ADVISED THEY ARE STORED IN 55 GALLON BARRELS IN ANOTHER AREA OF THE BONE YARD. THE SUSPECT/SUSPECTS REMOVED THE ENDS OF THE FUSES, WHICH ARE MADE OF BRASS, AND LEFT THE CENTER PART IN THE WOODS. THERE WERE ROUGHLY 100 FUSES THAT HAD BEEN DISMANTLED. THE ENDS ARE VERY UNIQUE AND THE FUSES ARE USED FOR THE LARGE MACHINERY IN THE MINE. I ASKED MR COLITZ IF HE KNEW OF ANY OTHER PEOPLE WHO WOULD USE THIS TYPE OF FUSE AND HE ADVISED ONLY PEOPLE WHO HAD LARGE MINING MACHINERY. I CONTINUED WALKING IN THE AREA AND LOCATED THE WIRING HARNESS RADIATOR AND TWO FIVE GALLON BUCKETS FILLED WITH THE BRASS FUSE ENDS. SMALL SHOE IMPRESSIONS WERE LOCATED IN THE AREA OF THE BONE YARD WHICH LEAD THROUGH THE WOODS TOWARD US HIGHWAY 19. ALSO LOCATED IN THE WOODS WERE THREE BATTERIES FROM THE VEHICLES THAT WERE STASHED UNDER A BUSH. I PHOTOGRAPHED AND PROCESSED THE SCENE FOR LATENTS (SEE CRIME SCENE TECHNICIAN (CST) REPORT). MR COLITZ WAS PROVIDED WITH A BUSINESS CARD BEARING MY NAME AND THE CASE NUMBER. MR COLITZ ADVISED THAT THE MISSING ITEMS WERE VALUED AT APPROXIMATELY $500.00. I THEN RESPONDED TO CRYSTAL RIVER METAL RECYCLERS AND MADE CONTACT WITH MR MARK JONES, AN EMPLOYEE. I SHOWED MR JONES THE BRASS ENDS OF THE FUSES AND ASKED HIM IF ANYONE HAD TURNED IN ANY OF THEM. MR JONES ADVISED A MR BILL JAMES BRANTLEY (DEFENDANT) HAD TURNED IN 66 POUNDS OF THEM ON 040312. A COPY OF THE FLORIDA SECONDARY METALS RECYCLER PURCHASE TRANSACTION FORM NUMBER 204605 WAS COLLECTED AND LATER TURNED IN TO RECORDS. THE BRASS FUSE PARTS WERE PHOTOGRAPHED AT THE RECYCLERS. ON 040612, CONTACT WAS MADE WITH THE SUSPECT/DEFENDANT, MR BILL BRANTLEY, AT HIS RESIDENCE. MR BRANTLEY WAS READ HIS MIRANDA RIGHTS FROM A PREPRINTED CARD AND HE ADVISED HE UNDERSTOOD THEM AND WISHED TO SPEAK WITH ME. I ASKED MR BRANTLEY WHERE HE GOT THE BRASS FUSE ENDS FROM AND HE ADVISED THAT HE FOUND THEM OFF OF TALLAHASSEE ROAD BEHIND THE FORD DEALERSHIP. HE STATED THEY WERE ON THE GROUND ON A DIM ROAD UNDER SOME PALM FRONDS. I ASKED HIM HOW HE TRANSPORTED THE BRASS AND HE STATED HE ALWAYS CARRIES MESH BAGS WITH HIM ON HIS BICYCLE AND HE LOADED THE BRASS ON THE BICYCLE. HE FURTHER STATED HE TOOK ONE OF THE PIECES OF BRASS TO THE RECYCLER TO FIND OUT WHAT IT WAS AND IF IT WAS WORTH MONEY. HE ADVISED THEY TOLD HIM IT WAS BRASS SO HE RETURNED HOME AND TOOK THE REST TO RECYCLE. I ASKED MR BRANTLEY WHY HE WOULD CARRY 66 POUNDS OF SOMETHING SEVERAL MILES ON HIS BICYCLE AND NOT KNOW WHAT IT WAS WORTH. HE STATED HE THOUGHT IT WAS WORTH SOMETHING BUT HE JUST DID NOT KNOW HOW MUCH. I ASKED HIM IF HE RODE SEVERAL MILES WITH THE BRASS WHY HE DID NOT TAKE ALL THE BRASS UP TO THE RECYCLER, WHICH IS ONLY A QUARTER MILE FROM HIS RESIDENCE, IF HE KNEW IT WAS WORTH SOMETHING. HE STATED HE WANTED TO MAKE SURE IT WAS WORTH HIS WHILE. MR BRANTLEY WAS ARRESTED, HANDCUFFED (DOUBLE LOCKED), AND TRANSPORTED TO THE CITRUS COUNTY DETENTION FACILITY BY DEPUTY JAKOB. THE DEFENDANTâS BOND WAS SET AT $7,000.00 PER THE BOND SCHEDULE. |
