No one is above the claw.
Only YOU can prevent forest fires. But when it comes to nabbing a “dumb criminal” for stealing signs of his likeness from Florida state forests, Smokey Bear himself will join in the effort.
Smokey posed for a pic Wednesday with the bungling bandit, who was apprehended by members of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ (FDACS) Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement.
Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson announced the arrest in an X post, writing, “What happens when dumb criminals poke the bear?”
Authorities picked up the suspect, who allegedly traveled from Pensacola to Orlando while stealing Smokey Bear signs from state forests. Simpson said the man then sold them on Facebook Marketplace for $1,900 apiece.
When it came time for police to place the man in the backseat of a FDACS truck bound for booking, someone donned a Smokey Bear costume to pose for a thumbs-up picture.
Smokey also hopped in the driver’s seat of the vehicle for another snapshot Simpson shared online.
Florida Politics asked FDACS for the identity of both the man arrested and the person who wore what appears to be a stuffy Smokey Bear suit.
This report will be updated.
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