Months after nearly $150,000 worth of generators and copper wiring was stolen from Trump National Doral just weeks before a LIV Golf event, police have arrested a man who they believe was involved in the theft.
Patrick Steve Smith, 32, of Miami, was arrested Wednesday on grand theft and burglary charges in the crime, records showed.
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The incident happened back on Oct. 2, when $147,707 worth of Honda generators and copper wire cables were stolen from Trump National Doral.
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The generators and cables were among the equipment being stored at the course for the LIV Golf 2023 Team Championship that was held there later that month.
At the time of the theft, Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez said dozens of generators were stolen from the resort by thieves who entered the property dressed as construction workers.
Surveillance footage released by police showed a white pickup truck that police said the thieves used to get away with the generators.
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After police spoke about the theft, they received anonymous tips, including one that named Smith, an arrest report said.
Cell phone data showed Smith's phone in the area of Trump National Doral at the time of the theft, the report said.
Smith spoke with investigators and denied any involvement in the crime, saying he was in Pennsylvania visiting his son on the day of the crime, the report said.
Smith provided flight information that showed he'd left that day but returned that same evening, the report said.
He also said that when he returned he misplaced his phone, but the info from the phone showed him around his home about two hours before the theft, the report said.
Lopez said Smith is part of a large theft ring that operates between Miami-Dade and Palm Beach.
Smith was booked into jail and appeared in court Thursday, where he was granted a $30,000 bond.
A prosecutor said Smith is on probation until 2025 on a case out of Broward. Florida Department of Corrections records showed he was given a 2-year prison sentence in a 2014 grand theft case.
