Beer-drinking burglary suspect is found passed out on Florida bar’s stage, cops say

The suspect in a bar burglary was caught at the crime scene when a worker found him intoxicated and passed out on stage, according to detectives in Central Florida.

It happened Monday, Nov. 27, at the County Line Bar near Weirsdale, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said in an affidavit. Weirsdale is about 60 miles northwest of Orlando.

A bar employee reports she was taking out the trash around 6 a.m. when she spotted a man “sleeping on stage.”

The 31-year-old suspect was awake and still at the bar when deputies arrived minutes later, the report says.

“When asked if he believed it was normal to enter a bar that is closed with no one inside and help himself to the drinks, he stated he typically prefers to be served,” the arresting deputy noted in his report.

Investigators say he got into the bar via an unlocked patio door.

Surveillance video shows the man arrived just after 2 a.m. and immediately helped himself to multiple bottles of beer, officials said. (At one point, he is seen carrying a six pack, the report states.)

Around 6 a.m., the suspect is seen moving from a private booth “to the stage area where he lays down” and falls asleep, the report states.

The suspect was charged with burglary and felony petit theft, officials said.

This story was originally published November 30, 2023 at 7:37 AM with the headline "Beer-drinking burglary suspect is found passed out on Florida bar’s stage, cops say."