Man pulling lawn mower behind bicycle at 12:40am aroused police officer's suspicions

A 42-year-old Florida man is accused of theft after a police officer noticed him pulling a lawn mower while riding a bicycle. Steven Bernard Guidry of Fort Walton Beach was stopped three times in total on Monday night into Tuesday morning, according to the arrest report. The first time was at around 10 pm, when officers were called about Guidry knocking on residents’ doors.

Callers reported that Guidry was claiming to be “their neighbor” and asking for money. When officers spoke with him, Guidry had a bicycle. He was told to stop disturbing residents and leave. He told officers he was going to go home. At 12:40 on Tuesday morning, the same officer noticed Guidry riding the bicycle, pulling a red and black Toro lawn mower.
He was in a dark business district where all the businesses were closed. The officer feared the lawn mower could be stolen. Guidry told the officer he had picked up the mower from a friend and was on his way to his friend’s house. He said he was going to cut his friend’s grass in the morning. The officer released Guidry, but then realized that the path he was taking was unusual and stopped him a third time.
The officer asked if he could verify Guidry’s story with his friend. Guidry replied that he didn’t want to wake his friend. He was unable to give the officer his friend’s address or even a street name. The officer arrested Guidry and, after running the serial number of the bicycle, found that it had been reported stolen. Guidry is charged with theft by a person convicted of two prior petit thefts and loitering or prowling.