Man who worked with accused plane thief speaks out

In an interview you will see only on WINK, we are talking to a man who, for the last two years, got to know the man the Lee County Sheriff’s Office says tried to steal a plane at Page Field.

That man, 43-year-old Bruce Plummer, LCSO says, had a bulletproof vest and was armed with a rifle.

• RELATED: Man accused of attempted plane theft at Page Field airport

Once in the plane, deputies said that man crashed into a light pole and went through a fence.

On Tuesday, we learned that Plummer was able to leave the plane where it crashed and go home before deputies found him and took him into custody, late Monday night.

On Tuesday, we got an exclusive look inside the stolen plane.

The report from LCSO says maintenance workers discovered the plane off its ramp in the grass with a broken wing and an open door, almost five hours after the attempted theft.

Detectives also found a bulletproof vest, magazines and an assault rifle nearby.

Deputies saw surveillance video of Plummer entering and exiting the plane, turning on the lights of another and moving one of the planes into the grass and out of camera view.

Plummer then went to the nearby Circle K and used a credit card to pay. Surveillance video there shows Plummer wearing the same clothing as airport surveillance.

A Circle K employee identified Plummer in a six-person lineup. Detectives found more evidence in his home that linked him to the crimes at the airport.

In court Tuesday, Plummer’s parents spoke to WINK News by phone and said they hope he can get the help he needs.

Plummer is charged with armed burglary, grand theft of over $100,000 and possession of a bulletproof vest while committing certain offenses.

Clayton Price, who considered Plummer a “nice guy,” said never in a million years would he have guessed Plummer would be suspected of jumping a fence at Page Field, armed with a weapon and ammunition, looking to steal a plane.

Price saw the WINK News reports, saw his mugshot, and the Bruce Plummer he knew suddenly seemed like a stranger.

“He seemed like a gentle person to me. I never would have expected that he would do anything outlandish like this,” Price said.

Price said Plummer worked in his apartment complex, Brechin Apartments, until a few months ago and said he saw him almost every day for the last two years.

“Never a red flag thrown up to where it would think that he would have rifles and bulletproof vests and things like that and try to hijack a plane,” he said. “I’m still in shock. I can’t believe that he was ready to do something like that. He doesn’t seem like that type of guy.”

When asked if he ever spoke about flying, Price answered, “Never. Never ever.”

What’s surprising about that is that we know Plummer had a pilot’s license, so in theory he had the knowledge to fly.

But in practice, the plane never got off the ground.

Plummer went before a judge Tuesday, where we learned from the family that he struggles with mental health and substance abuse issues.

His arrest record shows both drug and alcohol abuse charges, including two DUIs.