Man jailed, accused of stealing from Sanford demolition site

SANFORD, Fla. — A Sanford man is in the Seminole County Jail after police said he stole tens of thousands of dollars' worth of scrap metal from a place where he used to work.

The alleged thefts happened at the Redding Gardens apartment complex on Locust Avenue in Sanford. The complex is being demolished.

Channel 9's Racquel Asa learned that the man's former employer said he caught the man as he was loading the goods into his truck and trailer.

Sanford police said an employee who came to change the locks at the complex took pictures of Otis Wellon Jr. scrap materials into a truck and trailer.
.
Police said each photo shows Wellon and others loading scrap metal into Wellon's truck.

"It was a crime of opportunity. It was for him until he was caught red-handed," said Shannon Cordingly of the Sanford Police Department.

Police say Wellon turned the trash to cash 13 times in July and August before his employer caught on.

Police said Wellon got away with scrapping $30,000 to $50,000.

According to police, Wellon wasn't supposed to be on the work site when the alleged thefts occurred. They said he had been fired from the company doing the demolition work.

"It's great when you provide a photo and say, 'We know it's you, because we can see you in the picture doing it,'" said Cordingly. "It makes for a very quick open-and-closed case."

Police said charges against Wellon include trespassing on a construction site because he went on the job site without permission.

Police said they didn't have to search far for Wellon. He was already in the Seminole County Jail after a Seminole County sheriff's deputy arrested him on charges of driving with a suspended license and registration.

WFTV