Posted on 04/18/2019 5:23:05 AM PDT by Gamecock
Wearing a baseball cap, gloves and, it seems, nothing else, a Florida man burglarized a Little League concession stand in Dunedin earlier this month.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office is now asking for help in identifying the man, who Greater Dunedin Little League president Susan Semitecolos said caused about $5,000 in damages.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the man broke into a concession stand at Fisher Field in Dunedin on April 7 around 4 a.m.
Surveillance footage provided to the Tampa Bay Times by Semitecolos shows the man, appearing to be naked, rummaging through the stand. Semitecolos said he stole cash donations to volunteers, a cash box containing $250 and three surveillance cameras.
Semitecolos said the man gained entry by prying a door with a crowbar and breaking through a gate, but not before he broke the lock on a gate covering a sliding glass window and, unsuccessfully, tried to climb through.
Before he left, he also took a package of hot dogs.
The Greater Dunedin Little League is home to about 300 kids and hosts about eight baseball and softball games a night for most of the week. The field is also shared with Dunedin High School.
The stand was closed that Sunday, but was able to reopen a few days later. The robbery was a shock to members of the organization, Semitecolos said.
“It’s just disturbing that they would take from the kids,” she said. “The older kids have questions and can’t understand how they could do something like that.”
Though a setback, response from the community has been encouraging, Semitecolos said.
“We’re getting a lot of outpour from businesses and local individuals,” she said. “It’s very enlightening. It’s encouraging. It’s great. The kids are very important to our community.”
The Sheriff’s Office asks anyone with information to contact Corporal D. Schafer of the Property Crimes Unit at (727) 582-6355 or dschafer@pcsonet.com.
Almost all small town baseball fields are supported by the revenue from the snack stands.
Dunedin Brewery is always on the way to a concert at Ruth Eckerd Hall there.
The year round sunshine, sandy beaches, and low taxes draw them.
Psycho.
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