ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A man and woman who authorities said stole a deputy's personal vehicle from in front of his St. Johns County business flipped the Jeep Wrangler and were thrown from it on King's Estate Road, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Deputy Michael Plott owns a martial arts gym and had both his marked patrol cruiser and his Jeep parked in front of the business Monday morning when he realized, just before 6:30 a.m., that the Jeep was missing from the parking lot.
The Jeep was found about 3.5 miles away, just before 7 a.m., when it wrecked on King's Estate Road and a man and woman were ejected.
The man, whose name has not been released, died of his injuries, deputies said. The woman, later identified as Adel Marie Shinn, 38, was taken to Memorial Hospital with critical injuries.
The St. Augustine Police Department, which is handling the investigation, said no other cars were involved.
The Jeep went off the road at a curve and hit a ditch before rolling deep into the woods. Police are still investigating what caused the driver to go off the road.
It's unclear how the thieves got into the Jeep, but they used a spare key that was under the driver's seat to drive off in it, deputies said.
Plott posted a statement on Facebook about the theft and its aftermath:
Our jeep was recovered today. I am saddened that one subject died and another (is) severely injured. I'm deeply sorry for their families' loss.
Plott had a personal Glock pistol inside the Wrangler, but deputies said it appears the thieves had no idea the gun was in the Jeep. It was found secure in a holder under the passenger seat, authorities said.
Plott said he'd seen Shinn (pictured above) with the man involved in the crash many times near his gym.
Authorities believe Plott was targeted because of his law enforcement job.
"I was a little shocked when I thought, 'Well, gosh, his marked car was out front and they still stole from him," Sheriff's Office spokesman Cmdr. Chuck Mulligan said. "Certainly not the first time we’ve seen it. I’ve been a victim of having my own property vandalized because I was a law enforcement officer and so this does happen to us."
