VOLUSIA COUNTY, FL – A man who reported his motorcycle stolen from a bar in Osteen last month has been arrested on fraud and other charges after sheriff’s detectives determined he set up the “theft” in order to get a $30,000 insurance payout.
Jeffery B. Stephens, a.k.a. Brad, 27, of Deltona, was arrested Friday afternoon after a thorough Sheriff’s Office investigation into the theft he reported September 25 at the Fox Head Lounge, 280 N. S.R. 415 in Osteen.
Stephens initially told deputies he parked his motorcycle, a black 2020 Harley Davidson Street Glide Special valued at $30,000, at the bar and left it there overnight Friday into Saturday while he took an Uber home. He said when he came back Saturday to pick it up, the Harley was gone from its parking spot.
Detectives noticed it seemed Stephens had parked the bike as far away as possible from the Fox Head’s cameras. But he inadvertently parked it in view of a surveillance camera at nearby Skip’s Boots. Upon reviewing that footage, detectives saw Stephens sitting outside facing the motorcycle when a vehicle pulled up next to it, and someone ultimately got on the Harley and rode away.
Detectives identified the driver of the vehicle that pulled up next to the bike and interviewed him. He admitted that Stephens had planned the incident and met with him the night before, stripping down the Harley of valuables and disconnecting a GPS device. Phone records indicated he and Stephens were in constant communication via text message at the time of the alleged theft.
The motorcycle has not yet been recovered. Stephens’ insurance company was kept updated on the investigation and denied his claim. Stephens was charged with insurance fraud, tampering with evidence and providing false information to law enforcement. He was being held in the Volusia County Branch Jail on Friday evening on $20,500 bond.
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