Joseph Long Arrested As Walmart Beer Thief, Kidnapper

By  //  January 4, 2014

charged with armed robbery and kidnapping

Took Walmart Manager On White-Knuckle, High Speed Ride

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Joseph Michael Long, 24, has been taken into custody by police after being identified as the thief who stole 12 cases of beer from Walmart, and then kidnapped the manager during his escape, according to police.

Joseph Michael Long, 24, has been taken into custody by police after being identified as the thief who stole 12 cases of beer from Walmart, and then kidnapped the manager during his escape, according to police. (BCSO image)
Joseph Michael Long, 24, has been taken into custody by police after being identified as the thief who stole 12 cases of beer from Walmart, and then kidnapped the manager during his escape, according to police. (BCSO image)

According to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, Long has been charged with larceny theft, armed robbery and kidnapping.

The incident, which occurred at the Titusville Walmart on Dec. 30 at about 4:15 p.m., began when the manager, Michael Dawson, tried to stop two people he suspected of stealing beer.

Dawson said that Long and a female accomplice put the beer in the back of their truck, and as they fled, he approached the rear of the truck and was forced to jump into the bed to avoid being hit.

After the perpetrators bolted the scene, Dawson was then taken on a white-knuckle, high speed ride south on nearby I-95, and then through Canaveral Groves, before he could finally jump out of the truck bed at Pine Street and Citrus Boulevard

After the perpetrators bolted the scene, Dawson was then taken on a white-knuckle, high speed ride south on nearby I-95, and then through Canaveral Groves, before he could finally jump out of the truck bed at Pine Street and Citrus Boulevard.

Traveling in the bed of the truck, Dawson told police he threw cans of Budweiser and Bud Light on to the roadway to attract motorist’s attention. A motorist noticed Dawson’s plight and rendered aid.

Fortunately Dawson was not injured, and Long is now in the Brevard County Jail.

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