OKEECHOBEE — Almost immediately after he discharged himself from a local detox center against medical advice, a man was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. On Friday, April 10, at about 5:30 p.m., Okeechobee Police Officer Jessica Francis was dispatched to CVS in reference to a trespass complaint. The caller said he asked the man to leave several times, but he would not comply and was attempting to sell alcohol to customers in the parking lot.

When Officer Francis arrived, she made contact with the man and recognized him from previous encounters earlier in the day. She reports the man discharged himself from a detox center against medical advice early that morning and then went to Dunkin Donuts, where a manager called the police to report a suspicious person. Then, a few hours later, he was outside CVS, leaning against the wall charging his phone. She said as she spoke with him, it was clear he was under the influence of something, and he had a hard time keeping his eyes open. She asked if he had someone coming to pick him up, and he said he was waiting for someone who would be there soon. She advised him to sit by the wall and wait for his ride.

A few hours later, Detective Bettye Taylor encountered the man across the street at Walgreens and was reportedly concerned for his well-being because of his intoxicated behavior. She noted he was drinking alcohol at the time, and she told him to pour it out. He claimed his Uber was lost but was coming to pick him up shortly, and Detective Taylor told him to sit on the bench and wait.

When Officer Francis spoke to him at CVS the second time, the man reportedly told her that when he saw her at Walgreens, she told him to leave. Officer Francis explained to the man that she had not talked to him at Walgreens. He had spoken to Detective Taylor, who was wearing plain clothes and not a uniform like hers, and she did not tell him to leave.

The CVS store manager, Terryl Wisener, said he asked the man to leave the front of his store several times, because customers were complaining. He left once but returned a short time later, causing customers to once again complain about a man trying to sell them alcohol in the parking lot.

Because he was reportedly highly intoxicated and caused disturbances multiple times, he was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. His bond was set at $500.