A city manager in Lake County is the victim of a crime, saying his city-issued laptop computer was stolen out of his SUV.
Groveland City Manager Redmond Jones II said the thief took the laptop, along with months' worth of handwritten notes and ideas for projects in the city.
Jones said he uses the laptop to take work home and to meetings, and city employees should not worry about sensitive information being at risk.
"There's not going to be any security risk or anything like that," Jones said. "It's mostly heartache for me trying to remember my notes."
Jones would not comment when asked how the laptop was stolen, and whether his SUV was locked at the time, citing an ongoing criminal investigation. But according to a police report, Jones' city-issued Chevrolet Blazer was left unlocked at his home Tuesday night.
Police said Jones reported the theft when he got to work Wednesday and confirmed he didn't leave the items there.
The police report also said city personnel files and checks were stolen.
Jones said the files were resumes without Social Security numbers. Jones said the paychecks belonged to him.
Groveland was ranked among Florida's 10 safest cities. Residents said it was an honest mistake that shouldn't have been made.
"I don't leave stuff in my car. That's why I bring everything with me, even including my pen," said Adrienne Ziegler, a Groveland resident.
Jerry Badalamento said Jones should learn from his mistake and keep valuables, especially city information, locked up.
Jones said he planned on telling his wife that his SUV will now stay in their garage overnight.
"We are in one of the safest communities ,but we all need to not let our guards down, lock our doors and be cognizant that these kinds of things can happen," Jones said.