Tip-Jar Thief Busted

Tip-Jar Thief  Busted

The Paso Robles Police arrested a man after he allegedly stole a tip jar from a business on Wednesday.

According to PRPD, officers responded to a business along the 800 block of 11th Street regarding a report of a theft. The store clerk told police that a white male adult stole her tip jar from the counter area of the store, and then fled toward Spring Street. The clerk estimated $27 was in the tip jar. The clerk gave police a description of the suspect.

According to PRPD, an initial search of the area for the suspect was unsuccessful. However, around 15 minutes later, police received a call from the victim stating she saw the suspect in the area. The police were told the store owner chased the suspect from the area and he was last seen near the train station on Pine Street. PRPD Officers arrived on the scene and successfully located the suspect on the train’s loading platform.

Police arrested Joseph Jeffrey Mikkelsen, 19, of Paso Robles for possession of suspected heroin, drug paraphernalia, shoplifting and violation of probation.

Officers determined Mikkelsen was on probation for grand theft in San Luis Obispo County. He had been arrested on June 10 of this year.

He was positively identified by witnesses as the suspect responsible for stealing the tip jar. Mikkelsen told officers he stole the tip jar to pay back his drug dealer. None of the stolen money was recovered.

Officers transported Mikkelsen to the PRPD for booking and processing. During that process he was found to be in possession of a small amount of heroin and needles, and was determined to be under the influence of a controlled substance. Mikkelsen was transported to SLO County Jail. His bail was set at $10,000.

Tip-Jar Thief Busted was last modified: August 25th, 2015 by admin
Categories: San Luis Obispo

About Author

Ben Banuchi

Ben Banuchi has been a journalist in the Atascadero/Paso Robles area since 2002, and is currently a freelance writer and reporter. He can be contacted at bbanuchi@unitedreporting.com