LAKE COUNTY, Florida. – A Lake County man was arrested after more than $100,000 worth of utilities were stolen and used for his cannabis greenhouse, according to the sheriff’s office.
In an affidavit, investigators said SECO Energy learned of the theft, which originated from an address on Springfield Road in Sorrento.
When a detective arrived at the property in February, he found that the meter box’s security seal had been cut and secondary wires connecting the transformer to the house had been tapped inside the meter box, officers added. The tampered meter box resulted in the property receiving “a large amount of undocumented electricity.”
The affidavit states that these faucets were used to provide electricity for “cannabis cultivation” in the house’s garage, a shed on the property and a greenhouse.
In total, officials said, the theft amounted to $207,359.01 – 551.33 kilowatt hours per day over 2,749 days. According to court records, 36-year-old Rafael Tomayo was listed as a resident of the property during that time.
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In June, detectives and a SWAT team executed a search warrant on the property and found Tomayo, another person named Nycenia Moya and five young children, the affidavit states.
It turned out that Moya had a license to grow the cannabis plants, and in an interview with Tomayo, he told investigators that he had leased the property for nearly 10 years, investigators said.
According to the affidavit, Tomayo further stated that the cannabis greenhouse was built in January by Ramone Greenhouses and Tomayo paid for all construction and electrical work, so Tomayo claimed he had no knowledge of the utility theft.
However, lawmakers said they searched online for “Ramone Greenhouses” and could not find it.
On Thursday, officers arrested Tomayo at his home.
“The arrested subject was more than cooperative throughout the entire process,” the affidavit states. “He was called home, immediately turned himself in and came outside to meet officers.”
Tomayo is charged with stealing more than $100,000 in utility services and is being held on $1 million bail.
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