Man arrested for lurking in yard where Bonsai trees were stolen

(January 12, 2024) -- On January 11th, 2024 just before 10 p.m., officers responded to a call about a prowler in the 2000 block of Everest Parkway, Cape Coral, Florida.

The caller said they saw someone in their backyard near their dock, and saw that same person on surveillance cameras. He was wearing a gray hoodie, black shorts and a dark mask on his face, and was hiding behind a chair. They said he came from a neighbor’s backyard.

Officers arrived and found the man, identified as Troy Dean Stuart (DOB 05/01/1988), in an empty lot on Everest Parkway. He was laying on his stomach between a tall hedge and thick brush near the seawall. Stuart was wearing a gray hoodie, black shorts, and had a dark navy blue pair of underwear around his neck. He told officers he was in the area to exercise, and wanted to run along the canal due to its aesthetics and to avoid cars on the road. He said the underwear around his neck was to protect his face from the cold. Stuart said he was confronted by two men and ran away to hide from them. 

Officers talked to the two men who confronted Stuart, who both live nearby on Everest Parkway. One told officers he saw a man in a gray hoodie and black shorts walk through his backyard, and said he shouted and approached him. He was able to remove his hood to see who he was. He said his neighbor then escorted him to their front yard, and he ran away.

Another neighbor told officers they reported a theft of two bonsai plants valued at $7,000 on January 6th. The suspect was seen on surveillance video on January 11th walking toward additional bonsai plants at the same address, then fleeing from the area as if he was spooked. Officers went to Stuart’s residence in the 3000 block of SW 8th Place and found several bonsai plants in the front yard, but they did not match the exact description of the stolen plants. A tall fence kept officers from seeing into the backyard. Stuart claimed to have no knowledge of the tree theft.

Stuart was arrested and charged with the following:
1 Count of F.S.S. 856.021 - Loitering and Prowling.



Arrested: Troy Dean Stuart (DOB 05/01/1988)
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