A potted plant and an aluminum sign disappeared from a porch on East Wolf Street in Avon Park on Sunday, and now the Highlands County Sheriff's Office wants the public's help putting a name to the woman caught on camera taking them.
According to the Tampa Bay 28, HCSO said the woman stole both items directly off the porch of the Avon Park home. Investigators also said the woman was driving a silver Hyundai, a detail they're hoping jogs someone's memory or helps narrow down her identity.
Surveillance Footage Released in Hopes of an ID
To help crack the case, the sheriff's office released surveillance video showing the woman in the act, hoping someone recognizes her face, her car, or both. It's a small-scale theft, but one the agency is treating seriously enough to publicize, turning to the community for the kind of tip that often cracks these low-level property crimes wide open.
Anyone who recognizes the woman or her vehicle is asked to contact the Highlands County Sheriff's Office at 863-402-7350 or by emailing [email protected]. Those who'd rather stay anonymous can reach out through Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1-888-400-TIPS (8477), by dialing **TIPS from a cellphone, or through the P3tips app.
What Remains Unknown
Florida’s usual felony-theft threshold is $750, but location can change that calculation. A state analysis found Florida was among 12 states with a general felony threshold below $1,000, while 38 states set theirs at $1,000 or more. The analysis also notes the lower threshold for property taken from a dwelling or its unenclosed curtilage, a distinction that makes the items’ value and the porch’s legal classification relevant to any potential charge.
Florida law sets a special threshold for theft from a dwelling or its unenclosed curtilage: property valued at $40 or more can make the offense a third-degree felony, while property worth less than $40 is generally a first-degree misdemeanor. The Legislature lowered that residential threshold effective Oct. 1, 2024. The statute’s classification depends on the property’s value and where it was taken; with both details undisclosed here, the rules do not establish what charge, if any, could apply.
HCSO has not released the woman's name, age, or a physical description beyond what's visible in the surveillance footage, and it's unclear whether she has since been identified or taken into custody. The value of the stolen plant and sign, along with any potential charges she could face, also hasn't been disclosed. For now, the case rests on whoever might recognize that silver Hyundai rolling away from an East Wolf Street porch.
