Fla. Police Nab Man Accused of Robbing Meat Shop in Only a Mask
What to know
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Lake City police arrested a 24-year-old man accused of robbing a meat market while nude except for a face covering, taking about $1,000 from the cash box.
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Officers said the suspect fled on foot but was taken into custody shortly afterward.
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The man was charged with robbery with a weapon, indecent exposure, grand theft and criminal mischief.
A Florida man has been accused of robbing a meat shop while naked, wearing just a face mask at the time, police said.
Officers with the Lake City Police Department were called to BJ’s Meat Market on Main Street the night of Dec. 23 to investigate reports of a robbery, authorities said in a press release on Monday. When they arrived on the scene around 8:50 p.m., workers at the store told them a suspect — later identified as 24-year-old Kobe Watkins — burst into the store while “nude except for a covering over his face,” according to the release.
He was allegedly caught on security cameras snatching approximately $1,000 from the cash box before fleeing.
Watkins additionally had a piece of cloth in his hand wrapped around what employees believed to be a weapon, WCJB reported. Authorities also recovered “evidence” along Watkin’s “suspected route of travel, including clothing items and other property believed to be connected to the incident,” police said.
He was taken into custody a short time later and charged with robbery with a weapon, exposure of sexual organs, grand theft and criminal mischief. He was booked into the Columbia County Detention Center following a medical evaluation.
“Incidents like this are unsettling, but our officers responded quickly, secured the scene, and worked with our partners to identify and arrest the suspect,” Chief Gerald Butler with the Lake City Police Department said in a statement.
“We appreciate the swift assistance from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and the cooperation from the business employees that helped bring this to a safe resolution,” he added.
No one was injured during the incident.
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