On Oct. 17, a homeless man in Florida was handed criminal charges after he was accused of stealing metal pipes and handles from restrooms around St. Petersburg. The 28-year-old man allegedly stole the items from public restrooms at several different parks as well as from the customer restrooms at various dining establishments. Some of the restaurants involved in the alleged theft were Bob Evans, Burger King and Cracker Barrel.
After taking the man into custody, St. Petersburg Police charged him with one count of petit theft and eight counts of grand theft. He was held on $20,000 bail at Pinellas County Jail. According to authorities, the man’s activities resulted in a total of about $1,000 in property damage.
Police say there may be additional related thefts around Pinellas County, and those cases are being investigated. After he allegedly stole the brass toilet parts, the man is accused of bringing those parts to a recycling center in order to trade them in. It is unclear how much money police believe the man received from the trades.
A criminal defense attorney might be able to help a person who is facing similar charges to achieve the best possible outcome in their case. Although there may have been multiple thefts of a similar nature, an attorney might argue that the defendant was not necessarily connected to each one. After attempting to have a number of charges against the defendant dropped, an attorney may seek to have penalties reduced by negotiating a plea agreement.
Source: CBS Miami, “Man Arrested For Stealing Toilet Handles, Pipes,” Oct. 17, 2014
Source: CBS12.com, “Man arrested for stealing toilet handles, pipes“, October 17, 2014