Two 'slack'er shoplifters hide groceries in pants
By BRENDA SOMMER bsommer@leader-news.com

In a strange coincidence, two El Campo men allegedly tried to sneak out of a local grocery store with stolen goods in their pants in separate incidents earlier this week.

Roger Ray Vernon, 51, was recently featured as El Campo Police Department's "Most Wanted" for allegedly stealing a pressure washer from Bucee's. He was captured Oct. 3 and released on $10,000 bond days later.

According to ECPD arrest records, Vernon allegedly went into H-E-B grocery at 306 N. Mechanic around 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15 and was seen by store personnel stuffing two packages of meat in his pants.

He then allegedly went to the checkout counter, paid for two candles he'd placed in his cart, and tried to leave the store without paying for the meat. However, he was stopped by store personnel, who then had to throw the packages away because they'd been in a man's pants.

Vernon was arrested on a charge of theft under $1,500 with two or more previous convictions. He was transferred to Wharton County Jail the next day and held on $50,000 bond as of noon Thursday.

The very next day, Perry Lynn Bunn, 47, of 512 Depot is alleged to have been in the same grocery store when police went to talk to him, concerned for his welfare.

They allegedly found Bunn had stuffed bottles of beer into his shorts and walked out the door without paying for them. Four sobriety tests indicated Bunn was intoxicated, and as police patted him down to arrest him, they found a bag containing 19 Lorazepam pills in his pocket. He did not have a prescription for the highly addictive tranquilizers.

Bunn was charged with possession of a controlled substance and public intoxication. He was transferred to county jail Wednesday, Oct. 17 and released on $1,000 bond the same day.