Trending

Florida man tries to break into 3 sheriff’s vehicles shortly after release from jail, deputies say

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida man is accused of attempting to break into three Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office vehicles less than two hours after he was released from jail.

>> Read more trending news

According to documents filed in Pinellas County Circuit Court, the incident began shortly after 7 a.m. Sunday at the intersection of Ulmerton Road and 66th Street. Phillip Alfred Dunlap, 32, of Tampa, struck the back of another vehicle and began to drive away, according to the arrest affidavit. A deputy then stopped Dunlap, who “showed multiple signs of impairment and performed poorly on the field sobriety tests,” the affidavit said.

Dunlap was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence and booked into the Pinellas County Jail, according to the charge report. He was released on $500 bail shortly after 2 p.m. the same day, sheriff’s records show.

About an hour and a half after Dunlap’s release, jail employees saw him outside the facility “pulling on the door handles” of three unoccupied vehicles owned by the Sheriff’s Office, according to a second arrest affidavit. Dunlap said he believed some of his keys were inside the cars he tried to enter, according to the affidavit.

Deputies arrested Dunlap on charges of burglary/unoccupied conveyance and booked him into the jail at 4:40 p.m., according to the charge report. He posted $15,000 bail and was released shortly after 11 p.m., sheriff’s records show.