Sleepy Burglar Helped Himself to Bologna, Nap: Deputies

ZEPHYRHILLS, FL — A Zephyrhills man may have thought he’d been transported into a scene from “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” when he arrived home Wednesday morning. In this case, there was no gobbled up porridge or broken chair, but he did find a person sleeping in a bed.

The case in question began to unfold just at 9 a.m. Oct. 12 when the victim returned to his home in the 8600 block of Semmes Street. Once inside, he noticed about $150 worth of groceries and $10 in deodorant missing. He also couldn’t help but spot a person sleeping in his roommate’s bed, a Pasco County Sheriff’s Office arrest report said.

When authorities were called in to sort out the situation, they learned the sleeping man knew a person who lives in the home. He had not, the report said, been given permission to come inside or sleep there though.

See also: Burglar Caught Sleeping on the Job

The unwanted guest told the deputy he entered the home through an unlocked sliding glass door and admitted he didn’t have permission to do so, the report noted.

As for the missing food, the “defendant denied eating any food from the residence, but an empty package of bologna was located outside on the ground near the sliding glass door along with a bottle of water the victim claimed to not have been there previously.”

Steven A. Jeffcott, 20, was subsequently charged with residential burglary. In checking his background, Pasco deputies discovered he was a suspect in an unrelated burglary. He was also charged with armed burglary and grand theft in that case, which involved theft of lawn equipment and guns.

Wednesday’s arrest isn’t the first time a burglar was caught sleeping on the job in Florida. Back in 2014, a Nokomis man was found out like a light on a bed next to a bag of stolen jewelry. The man was snoozing so deeply, Sarasota County deputies were able to snap a picture, which was posted on the agency’s Facebook page. “Talk about falling asleep on the job,” the post said.

Booking photo courtesy of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office