Melbourne Police Arrest Man for Spreading Human Feces On Food, Shelves at Grocery Store

By Space Coast Daily // July 9, 2018

Melbourne police officers arrest Edwin Pierce

Melbourne police officers arrested Edwin Pierce, 31, for willfully and maliciously spreading human feces across food and shelves at the Family Dollar Store, located at 2200 Samo Road.

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Melbourne police officers arrested Edwin Pierce, 31, for willfully and maliciously spreading human feces across food and shelves at the Family Dollar Store, located at 2200 Sarno Road.

According to the Melbourne police, Pierce entered the store last Friday and an employee observed him on the store’s surveillance cameras placing his hands down the back of his pants.

The store employee called the police because she thought Pierce was hiding items in his pants. The store employee then noticed feces on the food, boxes, shelves and floor.

Melbourne police said the suspect paid for the food he had and walked out the door, but was brought back to the store by officers to clean up the mess he made.

While reviewing the video, it showed the suspect caused approximately $40 dollars in damages due to the shelves having to be cleaned and food having to be thrown out due to contamination with body fluid.

According to Melbourne police, Pierce deprived the Family Dollar Store of 8 boxes of quick oats, 4 boxes of grits, 8 bags of plastic forks, and 10 boxes of chow mein totaling a loss of $38.76.

After the defendant cleaned up most of the mess, he was arrested for Criminal Mischief due to the damages he caused by willfully and maliciously spreading his feces on food, boxes, the floor and shelves.

He was also arrested for Petit Theft due to the Family Dollar Store being deprived out of $38.67 worth of food because of the actions the defendant committed

Pierce, who is listed as homeless by the Melbourne police, was booked into the Brevard County Jail.