TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A Tallahassee father-son duo was arrested after they were caught on camera stealing a $98 liquor bottle from a local Publix liquor store.
David Holmes Sr., 75, was arrested by the Tallahassee Police Department on May 29 and David Holmes Jr., 40, was arrested by TPD on Friday.
On April 29, around 3:52 p.m., officers were called to Publix Liquor Store on North Blairstone Road in response to a theft.
When officers arrived they made contact with a Publix employee at the liquor store.
While talking with officers, the employee said she was turned around and stocking the shelf behind her when she noticed an older white male enter the store and walk behind the "center display" (the rum and soda aisle).
She stated she continued to stock the shelf when she then noticed the older white male leave the store with a reusable shopping bag and noticed it was full.
She told officers that it was visibly obvious that something heavy was in the bag.
The employee informed officers she never witnessed a theft or the older white male conceal any merchandise but she "felt a hunch" that the older white male may have stolen something.
She notified the store manager, who then reviewed the store's video surveillance cameras.
While talking with officers, the store manager stated after reviewing the video footage, he could visually identify Holmes Sr. and Jr.
He identified the theft suspect as Holmes Sr. and the theft accomplice as Holmes Jr. He said he is familiar with them as they have committed numerous thefts from Publix stores.
While looking at the video footage, officers saw Holmes Jr. walk around the liquor store, take a Patron Silver Tequila bottle, valued at $97.99 and hide it on the back corner of a shelf.
According to the police report, when Holmes Jr. left, his dad entered the store a couple of minutes later with a reusable shopping bag and walked straight to the shelf where his son hid the Patron liquor bottle.
The police report states Holmes Sr. found the liquor bottle and put it into his reusable shopping bag, leaving the store without purchasing the bottle.
Officers followed up with the store manager on May 21, where he said he was "extremely familiar" with "the entire Holmes family."
He stated he dealt with them "too many times to count" over the past four years in his role as manager of Publix. He told officers that there were "numerous" theft cases that had been brought against both Holmes Sr. and Jr.
The store manger informed officers he was "100 percent" sure that Holmes Sr. and Jr. were the two in the video footage of the theft.
Officers attempted to make contact with both Holmes Sr. and Jr. on May 10 and May 11 but were unsuccessful.
Based on the evidence, both are charged with felony petit theft and their bond has been set $2,500.
Since June 2005, Holmes Jr. has had eight convictions for theft and is currently on probation as of Sept. 14, 2017.
For Holmes Sr., since August 2016, he has had eight previous convictions for theft and is currently on probation for grand theft as of June 14, 2017.
Additionally, both were arrested and charged with dealing in stolen property on Dec. 5, 2017 and that case is still pending.
