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Arrest Leads To Bradenton Store Protest

"He has $90 in his pocket and he's going to steal a prune?"

Photo by Sarasota Herald Tribune

About two dozen people protested outside the Save-A-Lot on Saturday.

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By MICHAEL A. SCARCELLA AND TODD RUGER of Sarasota Herald Tribune

Published: May 4, 2008

BRADENTON - Eduardo Garcia Roves was outside the Save-A-Lot grocery store on 14th Street on April 7 when a teenager ran up to him, grabbed him and tried to slip on handcuffs.

Roves, a friend said, was confused and moved away from the man trying to detain him – a store security guard accusing Roves of stealing a plum.

Sheriff's deputies said Roves, 66, a native of Cuba who speaks little English, stole the plum last month after an argument with a clerk about store prices. But Roves said he was given the fruit that night in April by a family thanking him for his help taking groceries to a car.

On Saturday, about two dozen people protested outside the Save-A-Lot, calling for Latinos to boycott the store and urging its owners to abandon the misdemeanor charges against Roves. Prosecutors have not made a decision on whether to file charges.

Manatee County sheriff's deputies showed up to move protesters off the strip mall in the 5600 block of 14th Street West and to the public sidewalk.

Roves' attorney, Jim Delgado, said the treatment Roves got at Save-A-Lot is common and unfortunate.

Delgado questioned the aggressiveness of the security guard and said the sheriff's office wasted resources in sending over several deputies to investigate the theft of a plum.

The on-duty manager of the Save-A-Lot was in the parking lot talking to supervisors on a cell phone Saturday, but declined to comment. Calls to the Save-A-Lot business office went unanswered.

Protesters said Roves was not given a chance to explain his side of the story because of a language barrier, which a Manatee County sheriff's deputy acknowledged in a police report. Roves was jailed on charges of retail theft and resisting a store merchant.

A friend, Manuel Chepote, said Roves was treated with disrespect and should have been allowed to explain his side before getting arrested. Chepote was called that night by Roves and showed up at the store, but he said he was not allowed to talk to his friend.

Chepote said Roves bought groceries that included meat and crackers. Roves disputed the price of the crackers, which he said had gone up. Chepote said Roves paid for his groceries with a $100 bill.

As Roves left the store, a woman struggled at the front door. Roves helped the woman and her children to their vehicle. A child, Roves said, handed him the plum as a gesture of thanks.

"He has $90 in his pocket and he's going to steal a prune?" asked Chepote, an insurance agent and past president of the Gulf Coast Latin Chamber of Commerce. "That is absolutely ridiculous. He may not speak the language, but he is not stupid."

Sheriff's deputies and the store security guard paint a different picture.

They said Roves bought some groceries at the Save-A-Lot the night of April 7. He argued with a clerk about prices, according to a statement from the store's security officer, Michael J. Jackson, 19.

Jackson said Roves left the store and returned a short time later, stealing a red plum and walking out.

Jackson said he and the store manager watched Roves steal the plum.

Jackson said he confronted Roves outside the store and ordered Roves to put his hands behind his back.

Jackson said when he tried to handcuff Roves, he resisted and tried to get away, so Jackson took him to the ground.

A customer helped Jackson subdue Roves before sheriff's deputies arrived to put their handcuffs on the man, Jackson said.

Manatee County sheriff's deputy Patricia Hetrick said she was unable to communicate with Roves, who was booked into the Manatee County jail. He posted $620 bail on April 8 and was released.

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