A Villager has been fined after shutting off his neighbor’s generator during Hurricane Milton.
Scott Rothkranz, 63, who lives at 1417 W. Schwartz Blvd. on the Historic Side of The Villages, pleaded no contest this past week in Lake County Court to a misdemeanor charge of trespassing. He was fined $437, which he paid in full at the time of sentencing, according to court records.
The Historic Side of The Villages suffered widespread power outages due to the October hurricane. The power outage triggered a sanitary system spill at Lake Paradise.
A Villager was running a generator on his carport when it suddenly shut off. The Villager restarted the generator, but when it happened a second time, he grabbed a flashlight and looked out the window. He saw Rothkranz running from the scene and back to his own home, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department.
The homeowner also noticed two trash cans missing from his home. When police spoke with Rothkranz, the New York native denied taking the trash cans. Rothkranz was instructed to stay off his neighbor’s property. The trash cans were retrieved and returned to their proper place. A police officer parked near the neighboring residences and waited. The officer saw Rothkranz return to his neighbor’s property and remove the trash cans again. He was arrested on a charge of trespassing.
