Naked Man Walks Into Walmart, Steals Socks
A Pennsylvania man faces charges in connection with allegedly walking naked around a Walmart store, putting on a stolen pair of socks, and spitting in a police officer's face.
Surveillance video shows Verdon Lamont Taylor, 32, of Downington, Pa., taking off his clothes in a Walmart parking lot about 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 15, Philadelphia's WCAU-TV reports.
Taylor -- who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 300 pounds -- then walked naked into the Walmart, grabbed some socks from a customer-service counter, and put on the socks, video shows.
Walmart employees called police.
Verdon Lamont Taylor allegedly refused to comply with officers' orders, so police used a stun gun to subdue him, WCAU reports. The naked Walmart sock-stealer also allegedly spat in an arresting officer's face.
Taylor faces several charges for his naked trip to Walmart. They include indecent exposure, which requires prosecutors to prove Taylor intentionally bared his genitals in public. The surveillance video, though blurred-out, seems to show that quite clearly:
View more videos at: http://nbcphiladelphia.com.
Taylor is also charged with retail theft, or shoplifting -- the deliberate taking of a store's items, with the intent to permanently deprive the store of the items without paying for them. However, Taylor could try to argue he intended to pay for the socks, or was just trying them on for size.
Taylor is further charged with assault, likely for allegedly spitting in the officer's face, and with disorderly conduct, a catch-all crime for obnoxious or unruly behavior.
But a naked, sock-stealing visit to Walmart in the middle of winter also suggests possible mental instability. If Taylor successfully claims insanity, a jury may find him not guilty, or impose a less severe punishment. Verdon Lamont Taylor has a March 21 court date, and is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail.
Related Resources:
- Naked Man Walks into Walmart, Steals Socks: Police (Philadelphia's WCAU-TV)
- Naked Burglar Arrested Covered in Chocolate, Peanut Butter (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
- The 10 Strangest Naked Crimes of 2011 (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
- Browse Criminal Defense Lawyers by Location (FindLaw)