Tweet
NAPLES, Florida - A Collier County man is accused of biting and swinging a knife at a loss prevention officer who confronted him after some clothing was stolen from a Bealls Department Store earlier this month.
Dick Oranges, 49, faces five criminal charges in connection with the June 4 incident.
A loss prevention officer at the store, 2368 Pine Ridge Road, told Collier County sheriff’s deputies he and the store’s manager confronted Oranges after seeing him go into a dressing room and emerge without any of the clothing, which was also not found inside the dressing room.
Outside the store, Oranges resisted their attempts to escort him inside, pushing the manager away and biting the officer’s arms, causing the skin to break, according to an arrest report. The two employees said Oranges then pulled out a knife and started swinging it at the officer.
They backed away. He fled in a gold convertible.
In an unrelated incident Thursday, two weeks later, Oranges was stopped by Florida Highway Patrol troopers, who said he was driving 55 mph in a 35 mph construction zone. Oranges apologized and asked them to “give him a second chance,” according to reports. After smelling marijuana in the car, troopers said they found a pouch labeled “Dime Bag” that contained a grinder and rolling papers.
Oranges was arrested to face charges of drug paraphernalia possession and driving with an expired license. While in jail, a detective came to interview him about the incident at Bealls. Oranges said he was trying to return the merchandise, not steal it, and told the detective it was the loss prevention officer who wielded the knife.
As of Friday, Oranges remained in custody at the Naples Jail Center.
Dick Oranges, 49, faces five criminal charges in connection with the June 4 incident.
A loss prevention officer at the store, 2368 Pine Ridge Road, told Collier County sheriff’s deputies he and the store’s manager confronted Oranges after seeing him go into a dressing room and emerge without any of the clothing, which was also not found inside the dressing room.
Outside the store, Oranges resisted their attempts to escort him inside, pushing the manager away and biting the officer’s arms, causing the skin to break, according to an arrest report. The two employees said Oranges then pulled out a knife and started swinging it at the officer.
They backed away. He fled in a gold convertible.
In an unrelated incident Thursday, two weeks later, Oranges was stopped by Florida Highway Patrol troopers, who said he was driving 55 mph in a 35 mph construction zone. Oranges apologized and asked them to “give him a second chance,” according to reports. After smelling marijuana in the car, troopers said they found a pouch labeled “Dime Bag” that contained a grinder and rolling papers.
Oranges was arrested to face charges of drug paraphernalia possession and driving with an expired license. While in jail, a detective came to interview him about the incident at Bealls. Oranges said he was trying to return the merchandise, not steal it, and told the detective it was the loss prevention officer who wielded the knife.
As of Friday, Oranges remained in custody at the Naples Jail Center.
+ 
Comment