Some criminal cases are unusual, humorous or just outright odd. And there's no shortage of them on the Treasure Coast. This column will highlight cases that often leave observers shaking their heads.
A bad decision
When Martin County deputies arrested four men from South Florida on suspicion of burglarizing a house, one of them started crying in the patrol car.
He admitted he provided most of the money to rent the vehicle they traveled in to commit the burglary. In exchange, he got to take his girlfriend out the night before their trip.
But now, facing the prospect of going to jail, the man looked at it differently.
"I knew this was stupid, and I should have stayed home," he told deputies.
He may well have a new home for awhile.
Which language?
A Port St. Lucie man arrested on suspicion of leaving the scene of an accident told an officer he couldn't understand English.
When the officer read him his rights in Spanish, the man said he's an American citizen and couldn't understand Spanish.
Later, when talking to another officer, he insisted he couldn't understand English.
In the end, none of it mattered. He was taken to jail on numerous charges.
Failing to be good Samaritans
A Port St. Lucie woman left her purse containing more than $200 at a restaurant in Port St. Lucie.
She returned and none of the employees could find her purse.
But video showed two employees, Ryan Slown and Ferris Gazzalla, taking the purse to the back.
They went through the purse and found cash and other items.
Mr. Gazzalla claimed he returned the purse to the victim when she came back, but the owner said otherwise.
Mr. Slown said he had no idea what happened to the purse.
Both men were charged with theft.