Florida man arrested for allegedly smacking Walgreens manager in face with Bible on Easter
A Florida man was arrested and charged with felony battery for allegedly smacking a Walgreens employee in the face with a Bible on Easter Sunday.
Peter Owens, 35, was arrested again shortly after his release for the Bible-smacking incident when he allegedly stole shoes and a box of Cheez-Its from the Walmart in Tarpon Springs, according to local FOX 35.
During the incident at Walgreens at around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, Owens reportedly got into an argument with an employee about a pair of headphones he wanted to purchase, leading to Store Manager Nicole Merck getting involved and demanding that he leave the store.
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Owens left the store but not before allegedly whacking the manager in the face with his Bible, according to the affidavit from the Clearwater Police Department.
"Peter used the brown Bible in his hand and struck Nicole in the face one time before he exited the store," the criminal complaint said.
When police apprehended him, Owens admitted that he assaulted the Walgreens employee with the Bible because "she was being rude to him" but noted that "he did not mean to hit her," the affidavit said.
Owens posted $5,000 bail and was released from the Pinellas County Jail on Monday. The Tarpon Springs Police Department arrested him again Tuesday and charged him with petty theft for the incident at Walmart.
After allegedly snagging a box of Cheez-Its cheddar crackers from the shelf and taking them into the Walmart bathroom, Owens reportedly pilfered a pair of men's shoes, ripped the tags off, tried them on and stuffed them into his duffle bag before leaving the store without paying, according to another affidavit.
Walmart's loss prevention officer flagged Owens to police, who subsequently apprehended him and took him back to the Pinellas County Jail, where he remains on a $150 bond as of Friday, according to arrest records.
According to The Smoking Gun, Owens has been ordered by a judge to avoid the Walgreens store where the alleged Bible assault took place. The outlet reported that Owens' Bible-whacking was elevated to a felony because he had a run-in with the law in 2020 when he was convicted of assault and battery.
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com
