Man in jail after being found with a milk crate

A Florida man is behind bars after a deputy spotted him with a milk crate. Just before 10pm on Thursday a PSCO deputy stopped two men on bikes. The deputy noticed that Timothy Troller, of Auburndale, Polk County, had a dairy crate attached to his a purple Mongoose BMX bicycle. The dairy crate had the business name of Sunshine State Dairy Farms clearly marked on the sides.
Troller claimed he found the crate on the side of the road and attached it to his bike. Troller was arrested and charged with Possession of Dairy Crate. “I never heard of it. This is the first time ever,” Edward Hale, Troller’s grandfather said. “He didn’t know it was against the law, or he wouldn’t have put it on the front of the bicycle and rode up and down the road,” Hale said.
“You’re possessing something that is stolen from a business, whether it’s as small as a milk crate, or a shopping cart,” Polk County Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson, Carrie Horstman said. “He was charged with possessing stolen property. He may pay a fine or spend a few days in jail. Deputies are actually out there proactively looking for things that don’t look right; looking for suspicious things. If they see somebody riding a bicycle at 10 o’clock at night they may have a conversation with them.

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“They are looking for people who are doing even the smallest crime, because, what we’ve learned is, those who will go out an steal a milk crate, for example, are the same people who are probably breaking into cars, breaking into your house,” Horstman said. Troller is currently at the Polk County Jail. Hale said his grandson has a long rap sheet, but doesn’t agree with this arrest. “Wait until he does something wrong. That’s the way I feel about it. It’s silly to me, and besides if it was [illegal], it shouldn’t be enough to carry you to jail,” Hale said. Horstman says it’s a good reminder. “You know the old rule we always tell our kids if it’s not yours, don’t take it. Don’t ride around with it attached to your bike.”