FROSTPROOF, Fla. — A man is accused of stealing from the grave of a man who was killed while on a fishing trip with his friends last July.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office said Kevin Wheeler, 45, was seen on camera taking solar lights from the grave of Damion Tillman.
This wasn't the first time something had been taken from the gravesite, so Damion's parents Roy and Elizabeth Tillman had placed a surveillance camera there, according to investigators.
When they saw somebody at the grave they called the sheriff's office and gave them details about the person they saw and the truck the person was driving, according to deputies.
When they responded, investigators said they found the person who matched that description and did a traffic stop, the sheriff's office said.
It was Wheeler, deputies said.
Deputies said Wheeler told them he was "getting lights" and he had "an interest with gravesite lights and was removing them because he thought they were pretty.”
Investigators said they found Damion’s gravesite, along with 5 additional solar lights, were found in the bed of Wheeler’s pick-up truck.
Tillman, 23; Keven Springfield, 30; and Brandon Rollins, 27, were killed on July 17 while out on a fishing trip in Frostproof, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
“Few of us know the agony of burying a child, and even fewer if that child is murdered. It is abhorrent that this criminal made the Tillman family a victim yet again," Sheriff Grady Judd said.
Wheeler was arrested and taken to jail. He has since been let out on a $1,250.00 bond.
- Bucs to play Super Bowl at home: Here are the 4 moments that helped make history
- Air Force will do 'first-of-its-kind' trifecta flyover at Super Bowl LV in Tampa
- Here's how many fans will be allowed to attend Super Bowl LV
- Parking, tickets, map: Everything you need to know about the Super Bowl Experience
- One Year Later: Remembering Kobe and Gigi Bryant, others killed in helicopter crash
►Breaking news and weather alerts: Get the free 10 Tampa Bay app
►Stay In the Know! Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter
