A 70-year-old Florida man is arrested after license plate readers help deputies trace a stolen boat trailer to his backyard, where he had already taken it apart.

Jonah Depeters, 70, of Palm Coast, allegedly loaded a disabled personal watercraft trailer into his Jeep pickup from Herschel King Park's boat ramp on August 26, 2026, after the owner had left it there with permission from Flagler County Parks and Recreation while its axle was repaired. Automatic license plate reader technology and the Real Time Crime Center helped deputies identify Depeters within 72 hours, and when they arrived at his home they found the trailer already dismantled in his backyard. Depeters claimed he thought the trailer was abandoned because its license plate had been removed, and he was charged with grand theft and criminal mischief. Sheriff Rick Staly said, 'We solved this case and arrested the thief in less than 72 hours.'