A Florida senior pleaded not guilty this week to urinating on cans of Spam and Vienna sausages at a Sam’s Club late last month, resulting in the waste of more than $10,000 in food, authorities said.
Police cited Patrick Francis Mitchell, 70, of Piedmont with criminal mischief and disorderly conduct for urinating inside the Sam’s Club in Lady Lake, about an hour north of Orlando, according to an arrest affidavit.
A woman shopper spotted Mitchell “urinating in Aisle 18,” according to the affidavit of probable cause from the Lady Lake Police Department. The woman took a photo of Mitchell with her smart phone and showed it to store employees, police said.
Summarizing the court document, Villages-News reported:
Sam’s Club employees reviewed the surveillance footage which clearly showed that Mitchell, “walked up to two pallets, facing the shelf, placed both hands in front of him below the belt line, and stood there for several seconds,” according to the affidavit, noting it was, “behavior consistent with urination.”
Store managers then inspected site and reported damage to the 188 units of 18-count Vienna sausages and the 345 units of 8-count Spam Classic. Because the products had been contaminated with bodily fluid, managers decided they had to be thrown out. The merchandise had a total value of $10,584.
After he allegedly relieved himself on the food, Mitchell was seen strolling through the store and sitting on patio furniture for about 10 minutes, the Daily Mail reported.
As is the requirement in big wholesale stores like Costco and Sam’s, Mitchell used his Sam’s Club membership identification card when he entered the store.
A detective from the police department used Mitchell’s Sam’s Club ID and matched it with the store surveillance imagery and ultimately Mitchell’s photograph on his Florida driver’s license, leading to his arrest, Villages-News reported.
Mitchell remains free after posting a $3,000 bond.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
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