Some criminal cases are unusual, humorous or just outright odd. And there's no shortage of them on the Treasure Coast. This column highlights cases that often leave observers shaking their heads.
Smelly crime
Maybe you've heard of Dumpster diving. That's where people get into Dumpsters and search for a disposed item that might be of value to them.
Maybe they'll find a piece of furniture that can be restored or a dented appliance that can be repaired.
One Vero Beach man is accused of taking Dumpster diving to a new illegal level.
Authorities believe the man has stolen at least four Dumpsters and somehow transported them to a scrap metal business where he got money for the metal in the Dumpsters.
The report of the man's arrest didn't say how he transported the Dumpsters.
Nor did it say what he did with the trash.
Under their noses
Sometimes crimes occur right under the noses of law enforcement officers.
Such was the case with the recent theft of $70,000 worth of air conditioner units from various places within the city of Stuart.
It turned out the suspect in the thefts lived right behind the Stuart Police Department.
When police searched his residence, they found 20 to 25 air conditioning units, shells, motors, fans, condensers, wiring harnesses and copper fittings.
But apparently, the suspect wasn't worried about keeping, at least temporarily, some of the stolen loot from the crimes.
That's because there's a concrete wall between his property and the police department, which provides a visual barrier to law enforcement officers seeing what he was doing on his property.
An idea that doesn't seem to work
Probably most grocery store owners would be happy if customers supplied their own bags for groceries.
But grocery store owners would not be appreciative enough to allow customers who supply the bags to get free groceries.
In Martin County, at a grocery store in Palm City, a man was seen with a grocery cart and several reusable grocery bags.
The man was seen putting various items into the bags.
The problem is, he went out of the store without paying for items in the bags.
When confronted by the manager, the suspect said, "I'm out of here," according to a Martin County Sheriff's Office report.
The man pushed the manager out of his way, but he ended up being arrested.