A landscaper who accidentally dropped a business card has been arrested in the theft of a ladder from a Villager’s residence.
The Villager returned to his home on East Schwartz Boulevard on April 17 when he was approached by a neighbor who told him he had seen a pickup truck back into his driveway. A man got out of the truck and loaded the Villager’s ladder into the back of the truck and drove away, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department.
The Villager found that a Werner extension ladder valued at $100 had been taken from his residence. He also found a business card from Last Chance Landscaping and Tree Service.
The Villager turned the business card over to the Lady Lake Police Department. When an officer called the number, the man said he had taken the ladder by mistake, having done some work for the Villager several months earlier. He promised to return it, but never did.
The ladder turned up a few days later at Value Pawn & Jewelry in Leesburg. It had been pawned for $40.
A warrant was obtained for the arrest of Bobby Chance Chavis, 37, of Fruitland Park. He was taken into custody on a charge of burglary and booked at the Lake County Jail. He was released after posting $5,000 bond.
He has been arrested several times in Lake County, dating back to 2009.