Man Wanted for Grand Theft in Florida Was Giant Employee, Police Say

A 30-year-old man wanted for grand theft in Manatee County, Florida, near Tampa, was arrested Wednesday night while working at Giant Food Store, 1880 Leithsville Road, Lower Saucon Township, township police announced in a news release Friday.

According to police, Timmy Lee Priest, of the 2000 block of Alice Drive in the township was taken into custody as a fugitive from justice, arraigned before District Judge David Tidd and committed to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Police said that prior to Priest’s arrest, they had been in communication with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Department and knew Florida authorities wanted to extradite him.

Eventually police said they “attempted several times over the last few months to locate [Priest] and eventually learned through social media that he worked night shift at Giant Food Store.”

An arrest record for Priest posted on the website Arrests.org is dated Jan. 9, 2011 and includes a mugshot, as well as the comment posted Jan. 29, 2012 by someone with the username timmy, “I look better in person.”

The public Facebook profile for a Timmy Priest of Bethlehem indicates that he is a “Stock/Associate” employee at Giant Food Stores and from Bradenton, Florida, which is located in Manatee County.