⚡ Over 5,600 customers lost power after an early-morning break-in at a Fort Walton Beach FPL facility
🧬 DNA evidence from a cold beer can at the scene helped identify and arrest 42-year-old Michael Hall
🚔 Hall faces felony charges for tampering with critical infrastructure, a serious state offense
FORT WALTON BEACH — A Fort Walton Beach man is facing felony charges after investigators linked him to a September 2024 break-in at a Florida Power & Light (FPL) facility that caused a power outage impacting more than 5,600 customers.
Police say Michael Hall, 42, was arrested following a months-long investigation into the early morning burglary at 31 Hollywood Blvd NW, the site of a critical FPL operations center.
The outage, which began around 1:30 a.m. on September 8, triggered emergency overnight response and several hours of overtime for FPL workers scrambling to restore service.
According to the Fort Walton Beach Police Department, officers arrived on scene around 4:35 a.m. and began processing evidence. Among the items recovered was a still-cold can of alcohol, which was sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for forensic analysis.
The FDLE later returned DNA results identifying Hall as the suspect. Detectives interviewed Hall and, after confirming details with the DNA match, arrested him under Florida Statute 812.141 (2)(b) for tampering with critical infrastructure—a serious offense due to the risk posed to public safety.
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St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
