Florida man charged with stealing fishing reels in pants

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Florida man charged with stealing fishing reels concealed in his pants

Yes, reports say Thomas Patrick Dower had fishing reels in his pants.

No, he wasn’t happy to see the Collier County sheriff’s deputy who showed up to arrest him on a retail theft charge.

Dower, 35, of the 200 block of 20th Avenue Northwest, East Naples, entered a hardware store at 11673 Collier Blvd. around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday and went directly to the fishing equipment counter where fishing reels were on display, according to an arrest report.

After looking several times in the display case, reports say Dower removed two fishing reels and put them down his pants. While walking toward the door, Dower noticed that he was being watched, and then ran out to a waiting white Cadillac.

The car sped away. Deputies looked for the Cadillac, but were unable to find it.

On Monday, Dower re-entered the store, where he was identified by a manager, who called the Sheriff’s Office.