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David James

Florida man arrested for burglary while on way to court for another burglary charge, says he needed clothes for court

The Cape Coral Police Department has reported that Florida man Devon Turner, 34, has been arrested for burglary, while he was allegedly en route to court for a separate prior burglary.

The police report details that at around 08:30 am on Monday, June 8, officers responded to a report of a burglary in progress from an RV owner. Their call came from inside the RV, and they told cops that an unknown male had repeatedly attempted to open their locked door. Then, after failing to gain entry, the man disconnected the RV from its power source.

The complainant – a mother looking after her three kids – described the man as wearing women’s clothing (including leggings and a tank top) and carrying a “small women’s backpack”. In bodycam footage released by the Cape Coral Police Department, officers cuffed Turner as he attempted to explain what he was doing. They asked him “what he was going to court for today”.

“I just wanted a shirt”

Turner responded, “It’s gonna sound crazy, but there’s a story to it, okay. Please don’t judge. It’s burglary.” The officer chuckled, and replied, “It doesn’t sound crazy to me at all”. As per the police department, Turner proceeded to explain that he was merely searching for clothes to wear for court, with his women’s leggings and tank top apparently unsuitable for appearing before a judge:

“It probably wasn’t the smartest thing to go inside, but I just wanted a shirt”.

The officers then searched Turner, discovering “approximately 2.9 grams of a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine” in his backpack. Turner was then taken to the Lee County jail on charges of burglary of an occupied dwelling and possession of methamphetamine.

The case is reminiscent of a 2019 incident in which another Florida man, Casey Lewis (37), was released from jail after serving his sentence for burglarizing cars. The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office explained that “within minutes” after his release Lewis was re-arrested after being caught burglarizing cars in the prison parking lot. Lewis was booked in once more, then released on bond for the second time that day.

Mercedes Simonds of the Cape Coral Police Department gave a statement on the case, reminding people to lock up: “Whether it’s daytime, nighttime, it’s so important to just be vigilant and on top of things to keep yourself from becoming a victim of crime.”

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