Florida Construction News staff writer
Three teenagers are facing prison time after deputies say they broke into a Kissimmee construction site and took heavy equipment for a joyride.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said it was notified around 3:49 a.m. on Aug. 22 of a burglary in progress at a site on Old Lake Wilson Road. Surveillance video from the sheriff’s helicopter captured the suspects—ages 15, 17 and 18—driving two forklifts and a scissor lift after entering the site through a gap in a fence. The sheriff’s office posted a video from the site.
When patrol deputies arrived, the suspects fled on foot. Aviation units guided deputies to where the teens were hiding, and all three were taken into custody without incident.
Link Construction Group, which is working on the site, reported at least $5,000 in damage to the equipment.
Detectives said the suspects admitted to entering the site and operating the machinery. Each was charged with burglary, trespassing on a posted construction site, felony criminal mischief and resisting without violence.
The two younger teens were taken to the Orange County Juvenile Assessment Center. The 18-year-old was booked into the Osceola County Jail.
The sheriff’s office said its aviation division will continue proactive enforcement efforts “from the skies.”
