Maybe Benjamin Gilbert Kennedy doesn't understand that a panty raid involves stealing used ladies' underwear. Maybe he has a thing for wearing panties himself and just didn't want to face the embarrassment of purchasing them. Maybe he's some sort of underwear Robin Hood, taking from the rich corporations to give underwear to the poor.
We'll never know exactly why Kennedy shoved 25 pairs of women's underwear down his shorts at a Bealls Outlet in Winter Haven.
According to the Ledger, the 57-year-old was observed by workers at the Bealls Outlet (Florida's classiest department store chain, as we all know) shoving merchandise into his pants. One employee noticed an off-duty police officer, Ken Brewer, in the store. Brewer had just gotten off the clock and was running late to a movie date with his girlfriend but agreed to get involved.
He walked up to Kennedy and pulled a pair of pink panties out of his pocket. Kennedy tried to walk away, but the cop ordered him to stand against a wall.
A search revealed Kennedy's shorts were stuffed with 25 pairs of panties, along with a polo shirt for good measure. He had shoved things anywhere they could fit (not a good mental image) and was even wearing a girdle to hide the merchandise. He also had a wire cutter, apparently used for cutting off tags.
Kennedy gave the officer several fake names before revealing his real one but never divulged the reason for purloining the panties.
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