Is that a ferret in your pants? Police say Fla. man nearly got away with shoplifting $129 pet
Cops: Fla. man stole ferret by shoving it in pants
Associated Press | Oct 29, 09 7:19 PM CDT in
US
It's one thing for shoplifters to hide plunder in their pants. But a live ferret? Police said a homeless man in north Florida did just that. And he made it out the door before being challenged. Rodney Bolton, 38, was charged with theft over the $129 animal that police say he took from a pet store in Jacksonville Beach.
A 17-year-old witness confronted Bolton in the parking lot and was bitten by the animal after the man allegedly shoved it in the teen's face.
That confrontation makes the ferret a "special weapon" under Florida law. So Bolton also faces battery charges for dangerously wielding the animal.
Calls to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Department to see if Bolton has a lawyer were not answered early Thursday.
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Information from: The Florida Times-Union, http://www.jacksonville.com
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