SUMMERFIELD, Fla. – Scary moments for a woman at a gas station when she saw a suspicious man “standing in front of her vehicle,” on the morning of Sept. 23 in Florida.
“She exited the gas station after making a purchase,” the arrest report said, “and observed an elderly [man], later identified as defendant Robert Howie.”
Then, “The victim advised she entered her vehicle and immediately locked the vehicle doors because the defendant started walking towards the passenger side of her vehicle.
“The victim advised the defendant attempted to open her front passenger door, but was unable because the victim locked the door.
“I entered the store,” a corporal with the sheriff’s office wrote, “and reviewed the store’s security footage.”
He mentioned seeing “the defendant standing in front of the gas station at the icebox. The victim’s vehicle pulls into a parking space near the front door. The victim exits her vehicle and then enters the gas station.
“The defendant moves from the position he had been located at, to the front of the victim’s vehicle.
“When the victim exits the store and then enters her vehicle, the defendant walks to the rear passenger door and in a surreptitious manner, reaches towards the front passenger door, grabs the handle, and attempts to open the door.
“The defendant then walks away, leaving the property.
“While reviewing the footage, I was advised by the store clerk [name] of the defendant’s name. [He] advised the defendant is a frequent customer of the business.”
Next, the corporal drove around and found Howie.
“The defendant stated,” the corporal wrote, “he thought he heard someone honk a horn, so he tried to open the door to see what they wanted.
“I explained I often hear people honk horns, but it is not normal behavior to try and open their vehicle door.
“The defendant continued to advise he has an alcohol and ‘meth’ problem, and stated he is new to ‘having a brain.’”
The corporal concluded, “The defendant did loiter on the gas station premises in a manner not usual for law-abiding citizens,” so Howie was charged with that misdemeanor.
He also wrote that Howie “attempted to enter into an occupied conveyance without permission, in a surreptitious manner, with the intent to commit a crime therein,” so he was charged with burglary, a felony.
“Lastly,” he finished, “I find the defendant’s explanation insufficient to dispel my concerns that he was imminently going to commit a crime, as there is no evidence that the victim or anyone else had honked their horn at him.”
Howie, who’s actually a bit short of “elderly” at age 60, pleaded not guilty but he ended up spending 11 days in jail until his release in lieu of $2,000 bond.
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