Thief steals hot sauce, electrical tape from local houseboat

Thief steals hot sauce, electrical tape from local houseboat
By PATRICK ANNESTY, Alligator Writer
A roll of electrical tape and a bottle of hot sauce landed Richard D. Humphrey in jail Monday morning.

At 4:32 a.m., a witness reported seeing Humphrey enter a houseboat at 3020 N Main St., where it was parked at Jim Walker Auto Sales, according to a police report.

The witness said Humphrey hid inside the houseboat when he noticed he was being watched.

Gainesville police officer Edward Ratliff found Humphrey on the 3900 block of North Main Street.

When confronted, Humphrey said he entered the houseboat "to take a nap."

In Humphrey's front right pocket Ratliff found a bottle of hot sauce worth $1, and in his back left pocket a roll of electrical tape worth $3.

Humphrey admitted to stealing both items, police said.

Humphrey, 47, of 542 NE Seventh Ave., was charged with unarmed burglary, a felony, and petty theft, a misdemeanor. He was booked at the Alachua County Jail at 6:03 a.m. Monday.

Gainesville Police spokesman Lt. Keith Kameg said there was no indication why Humphrey took the hot sauce and tape.

"Sometimes, intelligence and reason do not play into [these situations]," Kameg said.