The great berry heist: Man steals family’s harvest

We’re not talking about BlackBerry smart phones — this is about real berries. And pound-for-pound, these berries may yield a bigger market value. Gator Ray Retherford, 26, was arrested for swiping a family’s collection of Palmetto berries in Lehigh Acres Tuesday afternoon, reports The News-Press in Fort Myers. A man flagged down a Manatee Sheriff’s deputy and told the deputy his sister had been robbed. The woman said she and her brothers were picking palmetto berries when they were approached by Gator Ray Retherford, 26, and two other men. Retherford them they were on his property and the berries were technically his — and he took the berries, reports The News-Press. Two 100-pound bags of the berries. About an hour later she spotted Retherford again, and followed him to a store. She noticed adeputy across the street and sent her brother to get him, reports WBBH News. The two men with Retherford told the deputy that he had taken the

berries to LaBelle and sold them, reports WBBH News. And in the bed of Retherford’s truck were the two empty bags. He’s charged with burglary, petit theft and dealing in stolen property. Guess these berries are berry, berry hot… The berry situation was a different story in Myakka City — the owners got to keep them. In Myakka City six people picking palmetto berries were charged Wednesday with trespassing on Mosaic mines and SWFWMD property, reports WTSP News in Tampa Bay. The six had collected and bagged about 3,000 pounds of palmetto berries found in sacks throughout the property. The Sheriff’s Office said the berries have a market value of 85-cents a pound. The berries, used to make herbal treatments for prostate problems, were turned over to the water management district, reports WTSP News. Photo: The new-Press in Fort Myers More FloriDUH

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The great berry heist: Man steals family’s harvest

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