A 27-year-old Marathon man was arrested Saturday for stealing an air conditioning unit.
Travis James Cooper was charged with burglary, larceny and dealing in stolen property.
The theft was reported to the Sheriff’s Office on June 21. The owner said he was missing an A/C unit from his home on 22ndStreet. The owner said he knows Cooper. The owner stated he saw Cooper’s vehicle via security video at his residence on June 14. In the video, a man later identified as Cooper, can be seen placing something in the trunk of a vehicle.
On June 24, the owner contacted the Sheriff’s Office again to report that Cooper returned the A/C unit, however it was not the unit that was reported missing.
Middle Keys Det. Sgt. Spencer Bryan spoke to Cooper on July 2. Cooper stated he took the A/C unit and then sold it as scrap metal for money. Cooper further stated when he found out that the owner knew it was stolen, he tasked his girlfriend to the scrap yard to retrieve the unit. The girlfriend returned with the wrong A/C unit. The correct A/C unit is no longer at the scrap yard.
Cooper was booked into jail on Saturday morning.
