Florida man allegedly stole 400 pounds of avocados to buy Christmas presents for children
A Florida man was arrested this week after allegedly stealing hundreds of pounds of avocados from a Miami-area grove, police said.
Edel Perez, 29, was taken into custody after deputies reportedly saw him leaving a fenced avocado grove carrying bags of fruit estimated to weigh around 400 pounds, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office arrest affidavit.
Perez allegedly told officers that he was unemployed and planned to sell the avocados to buy Christmas gifts for his two children.
Police said the incident occurred around 3:10 a.m. Monday, when a man dressed in all black was observed picking avocados inside the fenced grove, which was marked with a “No Trespassing” sign.
Deputies reportedly found bags of avocados in Perez’s Mercedes-Benz, along with matching bags of freshly picked fruit still in the grove. Loose avocados were also discovered in the trunk of his vehicle. The total estimated value of the stolen fruit was $800, according to the affidavit.
Perez now faces charges of trespassing on an agricultural site and third-degree grand theft.
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