A man dressed as the Chuck E. Cheese mascot was arrested at a Tallahassee restaurant Wednesday evening after being identified as a suspect in a credit card theft investigation, the Tallahassee Police Department confirmed to CBS News Miami.
Officers arrested 41-year-old Jermell Jarreau Jones shortly after 6:30 p.m. at the Chuck E. Cheese on the 2800 block of Sharer Road. According to an arrest report, officers located Jones inside the restaurant and verified his identity after another Chuck E. Cheese employee told police he was wearing the mouse costume.
As the arrest unfolded, stunned patrons looked on, and several captured the moment on their phones. As first reported by the Tallahassee Democrat, social media users posted photos and videos of police leading the costumed mascot out of the restaurant as children and families watched.
One widely circulated image shows the mascot head resting atop a police squad car while a now-unmasked Jones is taken into custody. Some online questioned why officers didn’t wait for him to remove the costume before making the arrest. Tallahassee police later confirmed the authenticity of the photos and reiterated that Jones was arrested on three felony charges.
Woman identifies Chuck E. Cheese employee as suspect in alleged debit card theft
As police escorted Jones to the parking lot, a woman approached the officers and provided video evidence, identifying Jones as the person who made fraudulent purchases with her child support debit card. She told police she last used the card on June 28 during her child’s birthday party at the restaurant.
Investigators said surveillance footage from a nearby store and transaction logs confirmed the card had been used at multiple locations. During the arrest, police found the woman’s debit card in Jones’ pocket along with a receipt from a purchase made the day before.
Tallahassee police say suspect had stolen card and possessed marijuana
Jones initially denied using anyone else’s card but later told officers he sometimes used a cousin’s card, identifying her only as “Key,” the report states.
Police also said a small amount of marijuana was found in Jones’ possession.
Jones faces three felony charges: credit card theft, criminal use of personal identification information, and fraudulent use of a credit card more than twice or for purchases exceeding $100, according to police.
