Funny: Man wanted felony record to avoid law school

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL--A 28-year-old man said he wanted a third degree felony on his record so he wouldn't be allowed to attend law school.

Instead, Port St. Lucie police gave Joseph M. Velardo a misdemeanor, arresting him on a retail theft charge, according to recently released records.

Velardo's apparent unsuccessful bid for a felony arrest happened Monday. A manager at a Staples in St. Lucie West told police Velardo swiped about $300 in merchandise and asked that police be called.

Velardo said it was more than $300 in goods "and that was a felony so I had to take him to jail," the report states.

Police learned that after entering the store, Velardo tried to take a display computer, activating an alarm. He told an employee he was attempting to unplug the machine and asked whether any similar computers were in stock. Told there were no more in stock, Velardo reportedly walked out with two computer batteries.

"The suspect then came back inside the store and told the employees what he had done and told them to call the police," the report states. "He stated that he stole the merchandise because he wanted a (third) degree felony on his record so he would not be allowed to go to law school."

The items were valued at $276.88. Because the amount was less than $300, the incident is a misdemeanor, a police spokesman said.

Velardo, of the 100 block of Southwest Peacock Boulevard, said he's on medication for a "mental disorder" but took his medication that day and felt fine.

Listed as unemployed, Velardo was arrested on a misdemeanor retail theft charge.

http://www.wptv.com/content/news/topstories/story/Joseph-M-Velardo-FELONY-LAW-SCHOOL-MISDEMEANOR-WP/dmpTo9fkg0yT_nDHP2xong.cspx

ROFL

Funny: Man wanted felony record to avoid law school

Funny: Man wanted felony record to avoid law school

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