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COFFEE COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) – A Douglas man is facing charges after deputies recovered 21 stolen transformers from his Baymeadows residence.

According to Douglas Now, on August 27, deputies responded to a call at 444 Island Drive, where they found the transformers—valued at nearly $10,000—scattered throughout the yard in plain sight. Investigators confirmed the equipment belonged to Satilla REMC and had been taken in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

The resident, 43-year-old Eric Hunter, later admitted to collecting the transformers with others across the county, telling officers he knew it was wrong but claimed “everyone was doing it.”

Hunter was arrested and charged with three counts of theft by taking. He was booked into the Coffee County Jail and has since been released.

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