Photo: CBS 12
A story that highlights Florida homeless crisis...Police say a homeless man committed a crime to go to jail for a place to stay.
64-year old Daniel Goss was arrested this week for handing a note to an employee at a Palm Springs Walgreens, claiming to have a bomb. He later told police that he did it so he'd have shelter.
Officials say Goss stole a can of beer back in 2018 for the same reason.
In Martin County, Sheriff-elect John Budensiek is not surprised.
“You've heard the adage three squares and a cot. So, we do see homeless individuals that intentionally get themselves arrested for misdemeanor crimes, for the most part, so they can be incarcerated just to have a place to stay out of the weather for a few days.”
He tells CBS 12 News that they're working on solutions.
“Instead of just wandering the streets of Martin County looking for money and trying to survive in the heat, in the bugs. We are actually offering them transportation to leave Martin County to go back home, which is a lot cheaper for the taxpayers and the sheriff's office than keeping them housed in our jail.”
Budensiek says the county jail is already overcrowded and under construction. They're building a new wing just for inmates with mental illness.