News

Jul 10, 2023

Cardboard Caper: Miami Gardens Man Robs Store with Box as a Disguise

A Miami Gardens man straight out of a dumpster decided to rob a phone repair

A Miami Gardens man straight out of a dumpster decided to rob a phone repair store. But here's the thing. This modern-day fashion icon struts into the place wearing a cardboard box on his head. Is he making a fashion statement or did he just lose his helmet? We may never know.

According to NBC Miami, Jeremias Berganza is the Hero of this tale. This sharp-eyed owner of the store, stumbled upon the surveillance footage and sees the cardboard king not only break the glass displays but also snatches the phones like he's plucking apples from a tree.

Good old Berganza, refusing to let this cardboard-clad criminal genius go unpunished, takes matters into his own hands. He becomes a detective, roaming the shopping plaza, asking anyone who saw the suspect to spill the beans. And guess what? Jackpot! Turns out our thief couldn't wait to celebrate his mastermind move by hitting up a liquor store nearby. Because nothing says "I’m a criminal mastermind" like partying it up with your buddies.

Armed with evidence and a hint of common sense, Berganza dials the Miami Gardens Police Department. The long arm of the law does its thing, and our cardboard-box bandit is caught. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Claude Vincent Griffin, the 33-year-old rogue who thought he could conquer the world like a terrible Batman villain.

But wait, it gets better! The charges against Mr. Griffin pile up higher than the phones he nabbed. We’re talking grand theft, burglary, criminal mischief, cocaine possession—wowza! Finally, if that weren't enough, he even manages to resist arrest without violence. Multitasking at its finest.

In the end, justice prevails, and our cardboard criminal is behind bars. Unfortunately for him, his big heist only yielded 19 iPhones and a measly $8,000 in cash. Not exactly the million-dollar score he dreamed of, huh?

I’ve been boating in Florida a lot and there's one main rule. The driver needs to be sober. I don't care how drunk you get when you get to shore, but drunk boating can get very dangerous. This incident along Madeira Beach in St. Petersburg could have ended much differently.

Not sure how long he had been speeding along slumped over the wheel, but long enough that the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office helicopter was able to get over him and get this video. The boat luckily kept along the shoreline rather than heading to the beach. You can see he was close enough that he went in between the swimmers and the kayaker.

I wish the helicopter would have zoomed in so we could see the looks on the faces of the people on Madeira Beach. I’m sure some of them were just as drunk as the guy driving the boat. Back in high school we called it Mad Beach. Do they still call it that? I have about a week's worth of stories I could tell about that place, but some of the people involved are married and have families now. It wouldn't be right. I’m trying to be respectful, Brenda.

I love the part about the beer can on the deck. Ok, I’ll stop. I don't want to spoil it.

I mean, I had to know. So from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Department, here's what he can be expecting.