SAN MATEO, Fla. – Putnam County deputies are looking for someone who hoofed it after stealing two life-size horse statues and jars of honey and syrup from a San Mateo home and nearby honey stand, authorities said.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the unusual heist was reported recently at a property near Bigger’s Honey, a roadside honey stand that sits along State Road 100 not far from where it meets U.S. 17.
On Wednesday, the Sheriff’s Office posted surveillance video on Facebook showing a white pickup truck that investigators suspect was driven by the person behind the thefts.
The pickup is described as a late model Ford F-350 with black wheels, cattle lights atop the cab and a ladder lying in the bed of the truck.
A second video clip posted by the agency appears to show a man wearing a ball cap, a red shirt and khaki shorts smoking a cigarette before walking out of the frame.
Reached at home, the victim named Christa, who makes the statues for a living, told News4Jax the aluminum statues each weigh about 300 pounds and are worth an estimated $1,700 apiece.
"I was in shock because he was by himself," she said.
This isn’t the first time thieves have targeted the property. In 2013, three men were arrested on accusations that they stole a giant chicken statue, hitched it to a truck and took it on a joyride.
"We try to make an honest living and they just come and steal," Christa said.
Anyone with information about the latest case is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 386-329-0800. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 888-277-8477.