TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Toppled Portable Toilet Flushes Out Theft Suspect

ADVERTISEMENT

By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 2, 2008

  Lorenzo Knight

TAMPA - James Conroy tipped over about four portable toilets at a construction site, trying to catch a man he thought had hidden in one after breaking into a truck.

Conroy's hunch was right – suspect Lorenzo Earl Knight, 22, jumped out of one of the toilets after Conroy tipped it Saturday afternoon near International Mall.

"He was covered in crap, I can tell you that much," Conroy said today. "It was hilarious."

Police said Knight broke into two vehicles in the mall parking lot, taking a digital camera and an owner's manual. He had just jimmied the door of one when its owner spotted him, the police report said.

Knight took off, leaving behind a shoe and the screwdriver he used to break into the trucks, police said.

Conroy and another person chased Knight into a construction site, police said.

"I run a towing company in South Carolina, and we've had a lot of problems with thieves in the past, and I hold a big grudge against them," Conroy said. "I saw [Knight], and I wouldn't let him get away."

Conroy and another person heard a portable toilet's door shut at the site. They started tipping the toilets, trying to cover Knight in muck. Conroy said he didn't give thought to the possibility that construction worker might be inside one.

"I'm just glad there wasn't," he said.

Knight ran from the toilet and tried getting into a cab, but his attempt to escape failed, Conroy said.

After being stopped by police, Knight was hosed off and given another set of clothes, a police report states. Officers later found Knight's black shirt on the ground "covered in feces."

Knight was charged with two counts of burglary of a vehicle and one charge of grand theft. Knight, who did not have a permanent address, was released from the Orient Road Jail after posting $6,000 bond.

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

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT