Officer of the Month. Lt. James Loethen, right, accepts an award from Joe Whalen, left, president and CEO of the Lehigh Acres Chamber of Commerce. The award was for Detective Josh Quaintance, who was unable to attend. In the center is Capt. Ronald Curtis, who told chamber members how Quaintance had brought about the arrest of a suspect charged with the theft of coils from several air conditioning units at Lehigh businesses. Photo by Mel Toadvine

The Lee County Sheriff’s deputy who is credited for breaking up one ring of theft of coils from air conditioning units in Lehigh was not at the Lehigh Acres Chamber of Commerce meeting receive his award of Officer of the Month because he had been working very late into the morning hours.

Accepting his award was Lt. James Loethen at the East Zone District. The award was made to Detective Josh Quaintance.

Capt. Ronald J. Curtis Jr., commander of the Bravo District Station, told members of the Chamber that there had been 15 businesses between May 21 and May 27 that has been victimized with the theft of copper from their air conditioning units in Lehigh.

Quaintance was assigned the case as the lead investigator with the help of other officers who participated in the investigation.

“Through Detective Quaintance’s investigation, 27-year-ole Joseph Beams, a Lehigh Acres resident, was developed as a suspect,” Curtis said.

Member of the Month. Joe Whalen, left, CEO and president of the Lehigh Chamber, presents the Member of the Month award to Len Lagocki of PrePaid Legal Services.

Quaintance uncovered evidence that linked the majority of the air conditioning thefts together and in turn linked them to Beams, he said.

Quaintance obtained a court order and a physical, as well as electronic surveillance in the investigation in an effort of Curtis said was an effort to catch the suspect in the commission one of those crimes.

That surveillance paid off for Lee County businesses on May 27 when Detective Quaintance’s investigation , Curtis said.

Beams, the suspect, was followed to an area business outside of Lehigh Acres where he began to dismantle approximately 15 air conditioning units and prepare them for theft.

After preparing the units for theft, Curtis said Beams drove away unwittingly with detectives following him. A short time later Beams returned and began removing the units he had previously dismantled.

Employee of the Month. Oscar Gamble, right, who heads the wound center at Lehigh Regional medical Center and who is Lehigh’s honorary mayor for the second time in a row, is honored as the Chamber’s Employee of the Month. Making the presentation is Joe Whalen, the Chamber CEO and president.

That was when Beams was arrested and charged with 15 counts of grand theft and criminal mischief due to his dismantling and removing of the copper coils from 15 separate air conditioning units of different businesses.

“Detective Quaintance’s investigative skills, abilities, and knowledge of his craft are finely honed and his investigation and removal of the suspect from our community was a fine example of excellent police work,” Curtis said.

The award was presented by Joe Whalen, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce while those attending stood to honor Quaintance.

Later last week, more thefts of air conditioning copper coils were reported as occurring on June 29 when seven air conditioners were dismantled in Lehigh.

Authorities say one of the more popular crimes at the moment is stealing copper coil from air conditioners. Thieves take it to scrap yards where they are paid top dollar for the metal.

During the June 28 Chamber meeting, two more people were honored for the leadership and commitment to the Chamber.

They included Len Lagocki of PrePaid Legal Services who was named Member of the Month and Oscar Gamble, who heads the wound center at Lehigh Regional Medical Center who was honored at Employee of the Month.

When Lagocki first joined the Chamber, he immediately made an impact, the award stated. Soon after becoming a Chamber member, Lagocki joined the Chamber’s Leads group and began to display his exceptional networking skills and as a result of those skills, the Leads Group elected him chairman of the group in 2011.

Gamble was a member of the Chamber inaugural Leadership Lehigh class in 2006 and has since become very involved in other prominent Chamber organizations such as the Lee County Volunteers in Medicine and the Knights of Columbus. The award also noted that he is serving his second term as honorary mayor having raised money to help Lehigh Community Services.

Betsy Allen of Gaining Results Inc. in Fort Myers was the guest speaker. Her topic was “Is Your Business and or organization sustainable?”

June’s Chamber meeting was sponsored by Al DeLeon of Al Deleon & Associates Inc., which proves insurance services, who spoke briefly about his business.

New member firms were also introduced to the guests. They included Casey Craft Emporium, Gale McCafferty, an individual, Keiser University, Main Sail Merchant Solutions and Roll your Own tobacco.

The next Chamber of Commerce meeting will be on July 26 at 11 a.m. at Majestic Golf Club on Homestead Rd.