A police officer prevented a homeless man from stealing a Villager’s golf cart which had been loaded onto a trailer and was being towed away.
The officer spotted a Ford pickup truck towing a trailer at about 1 a.m. Sunday on Tarrson Boulevard on the Historic Side of The Villages. The driver claimed he did not possess any identification and said he worked for “Bob’s Golf Carts,” according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department. He claimed his boss had ordered him to repossess the tan 2008 Yamaha golf cart, which was being towed on the trailer. He did not have any paperwork to back up his claim.
He provided a false identity, but his true identity was revealed when the police officer used a Rapid ID device. A check of the man’s fingerprints indicated he was 37-year-old Brandon Fritzke, a native of Minnesota wanted on multiple Lake County warrants.
The license plate did not match the pickup truck, which did not appear to be registered. The trailer did not have a license plate and its vehicle identification number was unreadable.
During a pat down, Fritzke was found to be in possession of “multiple golf cart keys,” the report said.
A handicapped placard on the golf cart led to the owner’s home on Shay Boulevard. The owner was able to positively identify his golf cart, valued at $8,500.
Fritzke was arrested on charges of grand theft and providing a false name to a law enforcement officer. He was also charged with violating his probation. He was booked without bond at the Lake County Jail.
Fritzke had been arrested last year when he was found to be in possession of drugs and a stolen Michigan license plate.
