A St. Augustine man was arrested early Friday morning after authorities say he tampered with a St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office watchtower in the Castillo de San Marcos parking lot, causing damage.
According to an arrest report, deputies were dispatched to the area around 2:01 a.m. on Dec. 27 after a caller reported a shirtless man stripping wires from a mobile sheriff’s watch tower set up for holiday crowd surveillance.
The caller described the suspect as a white male wearing a hat and shorts and driving a dark, four-door pickup truck.
When deputies arrived, they spotted the vehicle backed into a parking space near the tower.
A man matching the description, 44-year-old Cody Bowman, was seen walking toward the vehicle and raised his hands when deputies activated their patrol lights.
Bowman, originally from Arizona, identified himself and claimed he believed the tower was malfunctioning.
Investigators say Bowman admitted to using bolt cutters from his truck to cut a lock on the tower, access the control panel, and pull an emergency cord, which caused the tower to lower from its elevated position.
A witness said he saw Bowman pulling wires from inside the control panel and carrying items back to his truck shortly before the tower began to descend.
A sheriff’s corporal responsible for heavy equipment later confirmed the tower had been tampered with and that copper wiring and parts were missing.
Damage was estimated to be under $1,000. Authorities also located bolt cutters during a search of the truck.
Bowman, who has no prior record in the county, was charged with burglary, criminal mischief, and possession of burglary tools. The investigation remains ongoing.
