BUNNELL, FL – On Sunday, November 12, 2023, at approximately 10:30pm, a concerned citizen called FCSO Communications to report two suspicious males walking around a home under construction at night with flashlights.
The caller continued to relay information to the dispatcher while deputies were responding that the males had taken a large item from one residence under construction and then driven further down the street to another residence under construction.
Upon deputies’ arrival, the two males were identified as Robert Stout Jr. and Robert Stout Sr. An opened box of Ready Mix Wallboard Joint Compound was located in the bed of their truck which matched the same material in the original residence they were seen entering and then removing a large item. The original residence was a posted designated construction site with a trespass warning.
Stout Sr. was arrested for Burglary of an Unoccupied Dwelling, Trespassing on a Posted Construction Site, and Grand Theft from a Posted Construction Site. Stout Jr. was arrested for Trespassing on a Posted Construction Site and Grand Theft from a Posted Construction Site. Stout Jr. has been arrested previously for Criminal Mischief and Domestic Battery.
“Thank you to our watchful residents who remembered ‘See Something, Say Something’, said Sheriff Rick Staly. “Obviously, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree with this father and son crime duo. Just because a construction site may be easily accessible, does not mean anyone but the owner has the right to enter onto the property or take anything from it. We remind builders to secure their equipment and tools as best they can so thieves like these men won’t be tempted to steal them. I also commend our dispatchers and responding deputies. Together with our observant citizen, they stopped these criminals in their tracks!
