A Southwest Florida business caught a thief in the act! Hand Therapy of Cape Coral has had problems before with people trying to make off with their plants, but this is the first time they caught a crook on video.
They say video shows a man in a Chevrolet truck pulling up to Hand Therapy of Cape Coral Sunday morning, wanting to steal the blue potted plant on the front porch.
But what he didn't know was the owner had surveillance cameras installed all around the building.
"I had a little trouble before. I had my plants stolen and some attempts on my air conditioning system and just you know things that didn't go well around here. It's just a good addition to a business," said Barbara Pyatt, one of the therapists there.
The mystery man thought the blue pot would be a good addition. But the video of the botched robbery turned into the talk of the office.
"It has been entertainment all day, it's been on Facebook everybody has been calling it is just something for Monday," said Pyatt.
Both staff and patients laughed at the thief.
"Pitiful, sad, but funny at the same time," said Michelle Carnwath, after she saw the surveillance video when she came to work Monday morning.
Once the bandit got his hood up, he tried to carry his prize only to have it drop to the pavement.
"I'd rather him break it than take it," said Pyatt.
The shattered remains of Barbara's pot still sit where the man dropped it. However, she's not letting the debris ruin her day. She'd recommend the cameras to other businesses.
"I think its a great idea. It saved me quite a bit of trouble and I know it's just a flower pot but it meant something to me and now I have to replace it," she said.
Cape Coral Police also stopped by Barbara's office hoping the video she got will find their man.
"We've had a lot of cases solved with surveillance cameras as of late. They are getting cheaper and a lot clearer," said Corporal Phil Mullen. "In the past we'd have video of bad guys and it could be anybody. It just wasn't a clear picture of their face, but recently, we are getting identifications out of these cameras," he added.
Barbara has filed a police report and plans to press charges on the man in the surveillance video.
