Shirtless man with American flag shorts hid in bushes after stealing beer truck, Santa Rosa police say
The shirtless suspect hung his head in apparent defeat — his eyes gazing downward on his dirty American flag shorts and loosely tied sneakers.
For a few minutes Thursday, Matthew Hermsmeyer had helmed his own booze cruise of sorts, when he allegedly stole a Coors beer truck in Santa Rosa.
But the 46-year-old transient’s joy ride didn’t last long.
In a Facebook post headlined “Beer (Truck) Bandit Busted” by Santa Rosa police, authorities say that Hermsmeyer ditched the stolen suds soon after he absconded with them.
After stealing the delivery truck from outside a liquor store about 11:50 a.m. Thursday, Hermsmeyer parked the truck less than two miles away and ran off, police said. A GPS tracker on the truck led officers to its location, where they found witnesses who had seen Hermsmeyer escape.
“Several citizens called in to report the male running across Highway 101, wearing nothing but the red, white and blue shorts,” police wrote.
Within 45 minutes, Hermsmeyer was arrested after being found in some bushes.
According to jail records, Hermsmeyer was booked for parole violations, receiving stolen property and grand theft auto.
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