A Fort Myers man was arrested for stealing more than $3,500 in golf gear out of a man's trunk.
Zach Metrovich had just gotten the golf clubs and had waited five years to buy them. He was so determined to get his stuff back, he took matters into his own hands and tracked them down at a local resale store.
Metrovich's life revolves around golf. He's a student at FGCU, studying golf management, and is an assistant golf pro at Fiddlesticks Country Club.
"I've never done anything else," he said. "I started playing golf when I was 14 and immediately fell in love with it."
Metrovich said he usually leaves his golf clubs at work, but after a recent golf trip, he had them in his trunk, until they went missing.
His 16 golf clubs, custom golf bag, and golf accessories were stolen out of his car.
"They had to have just been walking around, checking doors, and I happened to leave my car unlocked that night," Metrovich said.
He said he started doing some digging -- checking Craigslist, Ebay, and local resale stores. That's how he ended up at Play it Again Sports in Fort Myers.
A club matching the description of his, with the same serial number, was at the store. The manager told Four in Your corner whenever someone comes in to resell an item, employees make them fill out a form with their name, fingerprint, a description of the item, and a serial number. The store is required to hold the item for 30 days before resale.
By looking at the sale slip, Lee County Deputies determined 20-year-old Andrew Baird was the one who brought in the stolen golf club. He was arrested. He is also a student at FGCU, and he and the remaining golf clubs were found at the same apartment complex Metrovich lives in.
"To find out that they were 100 yards away from me the whole time, it was pretty interesting to find that out," he said.
Metrovich recommends always locking your car doors and remember to write down the serial number of your golf clubs.
He said he's frustrated because he can't get his golf club back unless he buys it back from Play it Again Sports, or until Baird's trial is over and he pays for it, which could take months.
Baird is expected in court on July 10th.
