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Tampa Police: Fake Employee Tried To Heist Pepsi Frappuccino

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By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 19, 2008

TAMPA - A Tampa man claiming to be a Pepsi employee failed in his attempt to steal several cases of Frappuccino drinks from the company, police say.

The incident began about 1:27 a.m. Sunday when Edwin Gonzales spotted two people loading cases of Pepsi products into a U-Haul van parked in the employee parking lot of a Tampa Pepsi plant.

Gonzales called police.

Officers saw Andrew Ogie, 25, by himself near the van. He had a Pepsi hand truck with him.

He told the officer his name was Demetrius Washington and he was a Pepsi employee taking out-of-date products, a police report states. Nearly three dozen 12 packs of Frappuccino coffee were in the back of the van.

Company employees said he wasn't employed at the plant, police said.

The Frappuccino was taken from inside the east warehouse. It wasn't clear how Ogie got the U-Haul in the parking lot since the area is gated and employees must use a gate card to enter, police say. Ogie had no identification.

The van had not been reported stolen.

Ogie, of 2906 Angela Court, was charged with two counts of burglary of an unoccupied structure and one count each of third-degree grand theft and giving a false name to a law enforcement officer.

He also was arrested on a warrant for shooting at, within or into a vehicle and with violating a domestic violence injunction, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Ogie remained in Orient Road Jail today. His bail had not been set.

Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at jpoltilove@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7691.

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