Caught with $155.27 worth of meat in 10 packages that he was trying to smuggle out of a Darien supermarket underneath his clothes, a Stamford man said he was just trying to feed himself, police said.
Darien police described the incident with this further account, including accusations not proven in court:
Police were called to Stop and Shop at 148 Heights Road sometime on Tuesday, May 16 on a report of a man trying to shoplift. Police were told store employees had seen a man stuffing packaged meat into his vest and pants.
The man was still in the store when police arrived, and a store manager pointed him out, standing in line at the customer service desk. Police saw that there was clearly something stuffed in the man’s vest, which was bulging in places.
Police asked the man, James Coates, 42, of Pequot Dr., Stamford, to talk with them in one of the store aisles. Asked if he had anything on him that belonged to the store, he immediately said he did and started taking the 10 packages of meat out from his vest and the front of his pants.
Coats was charged with sixth-degree larceny and released on a promise to appear Friday, May 26 in state Superior Court in Stamford.