Police: Homeless man hid stolen ferret in pants

Police: Homeless man hid stolen ferret in pants

Suspect faces theft, battery charges for dangerously wielding the animal

The Associated Press
updated 9:38 a.m. CT, Thurs., Oct . 29, 2009

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. - It's one thing for shoplifters to hide plunder in their pants. But a live ferret?

Police say a homeless man in north Florida did just that. And he made it out the door before being challenged.

Thirty-eight-year-old Rodney Bolton is charged with theft over the $129 animal that police say he took from a pet store in Jacksonville Beach.

A 17-year-old witness confronted Bolton in the parking lot and was bitten by the animal after the man allegedly shoved it in the teen's face.

That confrontation makes the ferret a "special weapon" under Florida law. So Bolton also faces battery charges for dangerously wielding the animal.

Calls to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Department to see if Bolton has a lawyer were not answered early Thursday.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33531981/ns/us_news-weird_news/?GT1=43001