Instead of arresting a shoplifter at a Publix in southwest Gainesville on Sunday, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputy paid the balance of the stolen items — and let the man go.
ACSO spokesperson Sgt. Chris Sims said Deputy Robert Townsend responded to a shoplifting call where a man attempted to take several food items from the grocery store, which totaled a little more than $5.
The man was compliant, admitting to Townsend that he took the items because he was extremely hungry and did not have a penny to his name, Sims said.
ASCO Deputy Robert Townsend.
Townsend really felt for the man, Sims said.
Sims said the deputy spoke privately with the Publix loss prevention officer who caught the man to ask if he could pay for the items himself, so the man could have something to eat.
After coming to an agreement, Townsend pulled out his wallet and paid for the food items, Sims said.
In the security footage released on the Alachua County Sheriff Facebook page, the shoplifter appears to be crying as he thanks the deputy for helping him out instead of sending him to jail.
“We had a deputy who took himself away from law enforcement for just a split second, long enough to see the human side of this gentleman, to see that this gentleman was truly in need,” Sims said.
Sims said Townsend, who has been with ACSO for seven years, has done this a number of times in the past. Sims said Townsend does not like to receive public recognition, claiming that he is just doing his job.
“He’s got a soft heart, and he also is a great character reader,” Sims said. “He knows when a person is really just down on their luck versus being a criminal.”
The ACSO is committed to serving others, Sims said, adding that Townsend’s actions reflect positively on all the deputies and the community as a whole.
“This is such a classic example of serving others,” he said. “Thinking outside the box, knowing that there’s an alternative and that not everyone is committing a crime simply because they are a criminal.”
