Man chows on canned tomatoes, naps in freezer of closed pub in Hernando

RIDGE MANOR — A 49-year-old man has been accused of breaking into a closed pub, eating a can of tomatoes and taking a nap in the walk-in freezer.

Timothy Dean St. Clair was arrested early Sunday and charged with commercial burglary. He was taken to the Hernando County Jail, where he was being held on $3,000 bond. It wasn't immediately clear if St. Clair was still in custody Monday.

According to the arrest report, St. Clair entered the fenced-in area of the business that was formerly Shakers Grill & Club at 31077 Cortez Blvd. He allegedly used a screwdriver to pry open a locked door to the storage shed, where he found the can of tomatoes.

After eating the tomatoes, St. Clair went into the shed and continued on into the walk-in freezer, which is currently not being used. St. Clair then fell asleep, the report said.

A Hernando deputy discovered St. Clair, who had no address listed in the report, during a security check of the building.

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From Tampabay.com

A salad to die for?

Mozzarella caprese -- fresh cheese and tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and basil -- apparently is a popular item at Pizza Time restaurant in Boca Raton.  So popular, in fact, that the chef threated a waitress with violence if she brought him one more order for the salad.

Police said chef and manager Mark DeCraepeo told the waitress that if she brought him yet another ticket for mozzarella caprese, "I swear to God I'll shoot you in the forehead."  He then slammed a handgun in a holster down on the countertop.  "Now you see I'm (expletive) serious, I'll put a bullet right in your forehead," DeCraepeo hollered, according to police.

The waitress worked the rest of her shift but called police that evening to report the incident.  Chef DeCraepeo allegedly told police he did have a gun but that he did not point it at anyone.  He was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon with intent to commit a felony and carted off to jail.

Chocolate covered ... moths?

Two Tampa Bay chocolate businesses are battling it out in court. And the crux of the case isn’t so tasty.
A Largo chocolate wholesaler, Mar-len Confections , says it wasn’t paid after selling a Port Richey business more than $4,500 worth of chocolate.

The Port Richey business, Chocolates by Michelle, countersued, alleging the chocolates were laden with unexpected goodies — namely moths.

“They sold me bad chocolate,” said Michelle Palisi, 62, who has been in the chocolate business for about 25 years.

Candy, particularly chocolate candy, can get infested with a variety of moths, said Philip Koehler, professor of entomology at the University of Florida. Immature moths, or caterpillars, are known to feed on stored food products, he said. And infestation can occur when moths mature and lay more eggs.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sets limits for insect parts and other materials in food. Chocolate must have less than an average of 60 insect fragments per 100 grams (which is about one-fifth of a pound), according to the guide.

To avoid critters in your chocolate, Koehler recommends checking chocolate packaging for holes, debris and insect webbing.

Lorri Helfand, Times Staff Writer

Sausage down woman's pants draws clerk's attention

Here's an interesting take on the usual "down-the-pants" retail theft saga, as reported by WFTS.

A Brooksville woman approached the counter at a 7-11 with an obvious bulge in her pants -- in a location where women typically do not have such bulges.  Which naturally aroused the suspicion of the clerk, who called police, and Brittany Gariepy found herself under arrest for shoplifting, even though she ingested the evidence.

According to the police report, the sausage "was clearly visible inside her pants as she walked out of the store. Upon contact with the suspect. . . she advised that this had not occurred and that she did not steal any items. Upon looking inside her vehicle, I was able to see the wrapper of a Big Mama pickled sausage, but the item had been eaten."

Self-proclaimed alcoholic can't wait an hour; steals wine and flees

From the Times:

ST. PETERSBURG - A 56-year-old woman who apparently could not wait 50 minutes for the legal sale of alcohol to begin in Pinellas County on Sunday (April 12) is charged with stealing $12.99 in wine and resisting a Sweetbay employee's attempts to keep her from driving off.

Kay Marie Stamm of 6721 Hibiscus Ave. S is charged with petty theft and resisting a merchant.

According to police reports, Stamm stole a box of white wine from a Sweetbay supermarket at 6851 Gulfport Blvd. S around 10:10 a.m. Sunday and "shut her car door on" store manager James Collins "several times" before leaving.

According to the report, Stamm told police she "did not mean to steal the wine and was planning on paying the store back." She added that she could not wait until 11 a.m. because of her addiction to alcohol.

Brant James, Times staff writer