In Lady Lake, Alfred J. Woods II has admitted to a series of electric bike and scooter thefts. According to ClickOrlando, the spree, which included four e-bikes and one e-scooter, took place over several weeks in October with a string of incidents starting at Recreation Plantation and subsequent thefts at local establishments like Kohl's and Papa John's; these thefts came to light after Woods was arrested on unrelated charges and subsequently divulged his activities during a jail interview.
It was reported by WESH that in a particularly tech-savvy turn, victims used Apple AirTags to track down their stolen belongings, leading to the recovery of an abandoned e-bike near the initial location of the theft and helping police with a solid suspect description, and which was significantly beneficial when an officer recognized Woods from a prior traffic stop where he was cited for a tail light violation while riding an e-bike.
During the confession, Woods revealed that his girlfriend had been selling the stolen e-bikes, citing the motivation for these thefts as a way to support his drug addiction. This insight was provided by the Lady Lake Police Department, where they are now focusing efforts on locating Woods' accomplice and the remaining stolen items.
