Florida man waits 5 hours in Walgreens restroom before going on after-hours junk food raid: police

A Florida man went on a late-night junk food and cigarette splurge inside a closed Walgreens store after purposely locking himself into a restroom, police say.

The man, Christopher Morgan, was arrested by police just after 3 a.m. Monday at a Walgreens in New Smyrna Beach with his pockets stuffed with candy. New Smyrna Beach is a city south of Daytona Beach, a surf hub known for its miles of white sand beaches.

Police say that CCTV footage shows Morgan entering the store hours earlier, at 9:40 p.m., where he went into a restroom.

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The footage then shows him leaving the bathroom at around 2:40 a.m. — long after the Walgreens closed at 10 p.m. — and walking around the store grabbing various items including food and cigarettes. Morgan made no attempts to exit the business or call for help to get out, police say, indicating that he hid in the restroom intentionally in order to later steal the items.

Morgan feasted on Tostitos spinach dip, chips, Reese’s chocolate, Ghirardelli chocolate bars and Dr. Pepper, while also treating himself to Newport cigarettes, police said. 

Police responded to the scene after an alarm in the store went off, and when they arrived, they spotted Morgan through the front doors of the store taking a pack of cigarettes from behind the counter.

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Body cam footage released by police shows Morgan inside the store wearing a white T-shirt and sunglasses on his head. He was seen holding several items, including a bottle in his hand as the alarm rang out in the background. 

Seemingly playing dumb with police, a confused looking Morgan tells police "I came in to use the bathroom," and says he thinks the time is "probably 11 o’clock." One officer asked if Morgan anyone else was inside the building. He said he didn't know.

Police cuffed Morgan and found an open Reese’s bar and a packet of cigarettes on him.

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Police say Morgan resisted efforts to place him in the back of a patrol car, and he then spat on an officer after being placed in the car. 

He was arrested for burglary of an unoccupied structure, larceny-petit theft, resisting an officer without violence and battery on a law enforcement officer.

He has two prior convictions for larceny-petit theft, police say.