Nathan David Long (via Fort Myers Police Department)
Authorities in southwest Florida have identified a 43-year-old man who came to be known as “The Pooping Perpetrator” for allegedly breaking into a local restaurant, stealing several items, and then defecating on the eatery floor before leaving. Nathan David Long was arrested several days later after police say they caught him jumping into a river naked and he allegedly confessed to the break-in.
Long was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with one count each of burglary of an unoccupied structure, first-degree petit theft, and criminal mischief – damage to property, jail records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
According to a press release from the Fort Myers Police Department (FMPD), an adult male at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21 was caught on a security camera breaking into a Joe’s Crab Shack located in the 2000 block of W. First Street.
“The male climbed through a small window he broke and stole multiple items to include alcohol, then defecated on the floor prior to leaving,” police wrote in the press release.
The department also posted two clips of surveillance footage showing the break-in to its Facebook page and asked for the public’s help in identifying the “pooping perpetrator.” In one of the videos, a man wearing a white short-sleeve shirt, white shorts, and white socks without shoes, appears to climb into the restaurant through a window and make his way into the building. The second video shows the man looking around as he walks behind what appears to be the desk of a supervisor or manager.
Long was able to get away from the restaurant that evening, but a few days later, police say similarly foolish behavior landed him in the back of a squad car.
At approximately 3 p.m. on Jan. 24, an FMPD detective working the Marine Unit responded to a call near West First Street in reference to “a naked male that jumped into the Caloosahatchee River,” according to a press release. Upon arriving at the scene, the detective observed the nude male on a nearby “derelict vessel.”
Along with the help of another officer, the detective was able to get the naked man – later identified as Long – safely aboard an FMPD Marine Boat. As they transported him to awaiting medical personnel, the detective recognized the naked man as the individual from the Joe’s Crab Shack burglary, per the release.
In an interview with investigators, Long allegedly “admitted to police that he was indeed the culprit of the incident” that occurred at the restaurant. He was later booked into the Lee County Jail.
He is being held on $70,000 bond and is currently scheduled to appear in court at 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 27.
(images via Fort Myers Police Department)