A Haines City man is facing burglary and theft charges following a Christmas Day break-in at a Winter Haven fire station. Daniel Puga, 22, is accused of stealing several items, including a “one of a kind” cowboy hat belonging to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, according to FOX 13 News.
The Winter Haven Police Department responded to a report of a suspicious person at the fire station early Christmas morning. Officers encountered Puga wearing a Winter Haven Fire Department Recruit shirt and carrying the cowboy hat, WFLA reported.
Security camera footage showed Puga entering the station’s administrative building, which had been closed for the holiday since Tuesday last week. Inside, investigators found evidence that Puga had taken a shower and gone through offices, removing a shirt and candy from desks, according to the Tampa Bay report. Fire officials said Puga did not have permission to be on the property.
Police later connected Puga to a nearby vehicle parked at JC’s Customs that had a broken rear window and an open door. The vehicle’s owner told officers the truck had been secured before he left town. The stolen cowboy hat belonging to Sheriff Judd was reported missing from the truck and was found in Puga’s possession at the time of his arrest.
Puga is charged with two felony counts of burglary and two misdemeanor counts of petit theft. He is being held at the Polk County Sheriff’s Processing Center as the case moves forward.
