VERO BEACH — A man accused of getting high in a company van was arrested after he traded company tools worth about $7,500 for money and drugs, according to an Indian River County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.
Jason Letrel Collier, 34, who is homeless, was charged with grand theft. He is being held at the Indian River County Jail on $2,500 bond.
Deputies responded to a theft about 9 p.m. July 7 in the 4300 block of 62nd Court, Vero Beach, the report states. They spoke with a woman who said she was the owner of American Property Maintenance.
She told deputies that Collier was an employee of the the business who was allowed to use a company vehicle to go to the bank. The vehicle had $7,500 worth of power tools inside.
Instead of going to the bank, Collier drove to a home in the 4400 block of 30th Avenue in Gifford and traded the tools for money and drugs, the report states.
His boss, John Snow, 44, of Vero Beach, was arrested that night after he found out about the incident, found Collier and chased him in his vehicle on U.S. 1. Deputies said Snow chased Collier into a Classic Car Wash and pistol-whipped him when he got out of the vehicle.
They spoke with Collier shortly before 3 a.m. the next day in the 1800 block of 20th Street.
He told deputies he’s an active drug user and that he traded a chainsaw, hedge trimmer and cordless drill that were inside the van for $60 to buy cocaine, the report states. He said he smoked the cocaine at the home while he allowed unknown people there to take tools from the truck.
Collier was arrested and taken to the county jail for booking.