'chuck E. Cheese' Handcuffed And Arrested In Florida On Charges Of Using A Stolen Credit Card

Customers watched successful disbelief arsenic Florida constabulary arrested a Chuck E. Cheese employee — successful costume portraying nan pizza-hawking rodent — and accused him of utilizing a stolen in installments card, officials said Thursday.

Jermel Jones, 41, was moving connected Wednesday nighttime erstwhile Tallahassee constabulary confronted him astatine nan Chuck E. Cheese connected Sharer Road, according to rule enforcement records.

“I grabbed his correct limb while giving nan verbal instruction, ‘Chuck E, travel pinch maine Chuck E,' ” Tallahassee constabulary Officer Jarrett Cruz wrote successful nan report.

"Jones instantly started tensing up locking some of his arms guardant successful beforehand of his thorax and attempted to propulsion distant from my grip connected his correct arm. I gave nan verbal commands, 'stop resisting, you are being detained.'"

Cruz told nan mascot not to make a segment earlier nan serviceman and his partner “exerted insignificant beingness effort” to handcuff him, constabulary said.

Victim Michelle Allen told constabulary she'd been to her child's day statement astatine Chuck E. Cheese connected June 28 and soon spotted fraudulent charges astatine stores she doesn't frequent, constabulary said.

She went to 1 of those stores and sewage information footage, matching nan clip her paper was wrongly used, constabulary said. She recognized nan Chuck E. Cheese worker making a acquisition astatine nan shop astatine nan aforesaid clip arsenic 1 of those fraudulent swipes, constabulary said.

Cruz went to that Chuck E. Cheese location and identified Jones, not successful costume, arsenic nan worker Allen suspected of stealing her card. The serviceman concisely talked pinch Allen, who he described arsenic "very nervous" during their conversation.

Cruz near nan edifice to confer pinch Allen and different officer. When nan officers went backmost inside, Jones was gone but a Chuck E. Cheese mascot was now successful nan restaurant.

Cruz asked different worker if she knew wherever Jones went, and if nan personification successful nan rodent outfit was successful truth him, she "shook her caput up and down indicating yes."

The officers publication nan rodent his Miranda warnings earlier he insisted he ne'er stole anyone's credit.

"I don't sewage nary paper connected me, I don't usage nobody's cards but my own," Jones said, according to Cruz's apprehension report.

Officers recovered nan victim's Visa paper successful Jones' near pouch and a receipt from a fume shop wherever 1 of nan fraudulent purchases was made, constabulary said.

Jones was booked connected suspicion of larceny, possession of different person's ID without consent and fraudulent usage of a in installments paper 2 aliases much times.

It wasn't instantly clear connected Friday if Jones had hired aliases been assigned a criminal defense lawyer to speak connected his behalf.

"We are alert of an incident involving a part-time worker arrested astatine our Tallahassee location connected Wednesday," a Chuck E. Cheese spokesperson said successful a connection connected Friday.

"We person taken nan due action concerning nan taxable employee."