Greasy burglary suspect slips up
By Tracy Majka, Court TVFri Jan 12, 2:51 PM ET
(Court TV) - A slippery suspect's greasy trail didn't help his getaway from police.
Charles Grant's robbery spree ended when cops found him covered in chicken grease at a local motel, according to Florida police.
"He got caught with his hand in the grease, so to speak," Pasco County Sheriff's Office spokesman Doug Tobin said.
Around 8:15 p.m. on Jan. 7, Grant broke through the ceiling of a Subway restaurant in New Port Richey and demanded money, Tobin said.
"A couple of workers saw the particle board-type ceiling start to move, and then it crashed down," Tobin said. "[Grant] picked himself up and, after a few expletives, said, 'Give me your money and you won't get hurt.'"
He took the cash drawer and fled. But his rooftop adventures weren't over.
When Detective Michelle March, who had been working on several burglary cases in which Grant was a suspect, arrived at the Subway restaurant and showed employees Grant's photo, they identified him as the intruder, Tobin said.
March began driving to the Green Key Motel, where she knew Grant was staying. On the way, she got a call about another rooftop restaurant break-in - this time, at the Wing House, across the street from the motel.
"She said, 'I betcha that's the same guy,'" Tobin said.
When officers arrived at the Green Key, they found a chicken-grease-covered Grant, who had climbed through an access panel in the roof and through the grease vents to get inside.
Grant admitted to the break-in, saying he needed money for drugs, Tobin said.
"He literally had grease all over his body," Tobin said. "We tried to clean him up the best we could for his mugshot."
Grant was "very fortunate" that he didn't get stuck in the grease vent, Tobin said. "If he had got stuck up there, and they had turned on the grease pit, it's steaming hot ... it's a really tight space. That would have been a horrible way to go."
He faces burglary and robbery charges and is being held at Land O' Lakes Detention Center on $35,000 bond.
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