- A Florida man caught stealing at the same time he was applying for a job at a tobacco shop made a public apology on a Facebook Live video to avoid jail time
- Tyler Stanley had went to Bohemian Lair in Cocoa Village on Saturday for a job but decided to swipe a glass jar from the store, shop owner Bo Larsen said
- Larsen arranged a fake interview with Stanley and when the man showed up had the police waiting, but decided against having the accused thief arrested
- Instead, Stanley had to apologize in a Facebook Live Larsen posted online
A man caught stealing while he was filling out an application for a job at a Florida tobacco shop had to issue a public apology – on Facebook Live – in order to avoid time behind bars.
Bo Larsen, the owner of Bohemian Lair in Cocoa Village, said Tyler Stanley came in on Saturday to inquire about a job and stole merchandise from the shop at the same time he was filling out the application.
Larsen told the Daily Mail in a phone interview on Monday that he noticed a glass jar was missing from his shop and when he checked the security camera he saw that Stanley had snatched the item.
Tyler Stanley had to apologize for stealing after was caught taking a glass jar from a tobacco shop in Florida at the same time he was filling out a job application
The smoke shop owner then arranged for Stanley to come in a few days later for what Stanley believed was an interview. When he arrived, the police were waiting.
The accused thief confessed to stealing and was presented with an option: apologize in a Facebook Live video for taking the glass jar or go to jail. Stanley chose to say sorry.
‘My name is Tyler Stanley and I made the biggest mistake of my life,’ Stanley said in the video. ‘I could have had a great job. And I made a huge mistake by stealing from a place that I really liked to visit and definitely my favorite smoke shop. I couldn’t feel worse about myself and I’m a thief.’
Stanley then thanked Larsen for not pressing charges and having him arrested.
‘I’m one of the biggest losers. I wish I remember doing it,’ Stanley said.
Larsen said he chose not to have Stanley arrested because he knew the man had made a mistake.
The owner of Bohemian Lair, Bo Larsen, said he decided to have Stanley apologize on video instead of pressing charges because he didn’t want to see the man go to jail
‘I think everybody deserves a second chance,’ he told the Daily Mail. ‘And (I thought) if his friends saw the video they would tell him that it was stupid.’
‘He’s 20 something and he has his whole life ahead of him. I don’t want to see him go to jail for something stupid,’ Larsen added.
Larsen eventually deleted Stanley’s apology video saying it was getting too much attention, but said he hopes the video will deter other people from stealing.
Stanley was cited for trespassing and is now banned from most smoke shops in Cocoa, News 6 reports.