Two men were arrested for stealing lawn equipment from a resident's yard after they posted the stolen items on a Facebook Swip Swap group, authorities said.
Jeffrey Vanzile, 34, and Michael Galloway, 24, were arrested for going onto another's man's property on Saturday and stealing his lawn equipment and tools from his truck bed and trailer, authorities said.
The theft happened on A Street in St. Augustine Beach, according to a police report. The victim said he usually parks his car in a more secure area, but in this case, he said he parked right by his home. He said he thought he heard noise outside of his home later that night but did not check out the possible disturbance.
Download the Action News Jax News app and First Alert Weather app
He noticed Sunday morning that several items from his truck bed and trailer were stolen, including two Stihl Yard Boss power sweepers, a Shindaiwa power sweeper and a black case containing a Dewalt 18-volt impact drill, and an 18 volt regular drill.
The victim's wife told the victim to check any Swip Swap groups on Facebook to see if any of the stolen items were posted for sale. The victim told police that he found someone trying to sell his Stihl Yard Boss in a Swip Swap group.
The victim said he contacted Vanzile and told him that he wanted to buy the equipment and arranged to meet him at a nearby Walmart.
The victim and authorities coordinated the meeting and Vanzile and Galloway were arrested once they were seen in the parking lot.
Vanzile and Galloway were taken to the St. Johns County jail.
Family searching for Jacksonville mom of 2 after car found running on bridge
St. Johns County man sees his stolen stuff for sale on Swip Swap, arranges meeting at Walmart, brings cops with him, authorities say:
Posted by Action News Jax on Monday, November 28, 2016
Cox Media Group
