A boat mechanic is facing charges after officials say a trailer and three boat motors that were stolen in Sunrise were linked using an Apple AirTag to his Miami-Dade home, where investigators allegedly discovered further stolen items.
Hector Rodriguez-Lafuentes, 53, was detained on Monday and charged with grand theft of a vehicle, possession of a vessel without hull identification, and possession of an outboard motor with an altered serial number.
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According to arrest reports, an $8,000 trailer and three Mercury outboard engines totaling $30,000 were taken in Sunrise.
According to reports, the owner tracked them down using an AirTag to a property on S. River Drive in northwest Miami-Dade before calling authorities.
Investigators found the stolen engines and trailer in the backyard of the home, contacted the resident, Rodriguez-Lafuentes, and arrested him.
“Upon further inspection, it appeared the engines were being stripped and the spark plugs and coils had been removed from the engines, and miscellaneous cables had been disconnected from the engines,” the reports said. “The plugs and coils that had been removed from the engines were located in a shopping bag on a trailer near the engines.”
While inspecting the yard, officials discovered another trailer stolen in Miami-Dade in 2023, as well as a Mercury engine on a steel mount with the serial number stamp removed, according to reports.
They also discovered a 16-foot yacht with the hull identification number wiped out, lying on a trailer with the identifying number erased, according to the reports.
Rodriguez-Lafuentes was booked into jail and appeared in court on Tuesday, where a judge granted him bond but ordered him to remain in jail due to an out-of-county warrant.
Peter Hogge revealed that his company, Hurricane Yacht Sales, had stolen the motors and trailer.
“It’s terrible that people don’t want to do the right thing, they are stealing from other people that are just out here working hard trying to make a living,” Hogge told NBC6.
