A convicted felon on probation for stealing a heavy equipment vehicle in 2023 is back in jail after deputies found him with a stolen truck Thursday in Collier County.
According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, deputies pulled over Lazaro David Urquiaga Perez, 34, of Naples, around 5:15 a.m. near Golden Gate and Everglades boulevards for a traffic violation.
He was driving a flatbed tow truck carrying a white Ford F-350 pickup, deputies say. A check of his driver’s license revealed it had been revoked, and deputies took him into custody.
During a search of the vehicles, deputies found drug paraphernalia that tested positive for methamphetamine.
They also noticed the license plate on the pickup had been removed. Further investigation revealed the pickup was reported stolen in Lee County.
Inside the truck, deputies found a handheld frequency jammer commonly used to block GPS devices and radio communications.
At the time of his arrest, Urquiaga Perez was on state felony probation for a similar crime. In February 2023, deputies were searching for a stolen Caterpillar front loader in the Estates when they spotted a similar vehicle being transported on a flatbed. A traffic stop confirmed it was the stolen front loader, and Urquiaga Perez was arrested for grand theft and other charges.
Urquiaga Perez now faces new charges of grand theft auto and felony violation of state probation. Sheriff Kevin Rambosk credited deputies for their quick actions in recovering the stolen vehicle and making the arrest.