A Pinellas County Sheriff’s detective arrested a sex offender who was shoplifting in Dunedin Publix while wearing a deputy sheriff’s star. The 43-year-old Clearwater resident was stealing Halloween candy and kid’s sticker books while wearing a sheriff’s shield on his waistband. He was spotted at the Publix Supermarket by a member of the sexual predator and offender tracking unit.
The suspect exited the Publix and made his way to a car often driven by law enforcement, a Ford Crown Victoria. Authorities searched the car and found a pellet gun that looked like a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. Also found in the car was an electric stun gun. The man was arrested in Pinellas on charges of shoplifting and unlawful use of a police badge.

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If you owe Sarasota County court fines or fees, a Florida warrant for your arrest is going to be issued according to a local judge. The bench warrant was threatened by County Judge Kimberly Bonner for those in Sarasota that are not meeting their financial obligations to the court. The judge has recruited county law enforcement officers to track down people who miss their scheduled payments.
The judge put about 150 people in Sarasota County on alert as they could be served with a warrant in the near future. That will lead to their arrest for owing money related to either a civil or criminal case. According to the Sarasota Herald Tribune people cannot be jailed only for not paying fines but the article says the arrests will be for violating court orders and not missing payments.