In what law enforcement has cleverly referred to as a “high-steak heist,” two Mississippi men are behind bars for stealing $1,500 worth of meat.
55-year-old John Garriga, of Gulfport, and 66-year-old Charles Walker, of Biloxi, were arrested on July 29 across the state line in Louisiana when officers with the Slidell Police Department pulled over the duo for brake lights that didn’t work.
Upon being pulled over on Old Spanish Trail, Garriga and Walker “were acting unusually nervous,” according to a pun-filled announcement by SPD. That’s when officers discovered $1,500 worth of USDA ribeye steaks and slabs of beef brisket that had been stolen.
“What the men didn’t expect during their ‘prime’ getaway was for officers to notice their faulty rear lights and bring their steak-smuggling spree to a sudden stop,” a portion of the announcement reads. “And with shoplifting records longer than a CVS receipt, we don’t see any cookouts happening in their immediate future.”
The announcement did not disclose which stores Garriga and Walker had stolen from or where they were heading with the meat. Each was charged with felony theft and possession of stolen property in what SPD called a job “well done” by its officers.
