Holmes Beach police filed for a third-degree felony charge Oct. 6 for repeated petit theft against Brian Murphy, 42, of Holmes Beach, the son of Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy,
An officer first responded to the Time Saver Liquor Store, 5353 Gulf Drive, where the owner and manager told him they have video showing Brian Murphy stealing money and liquor from the store on multiple occasions in September.
They told the officer that Murphy, who had been terminated from the job in September, also allowed customers of the store to take items without paying, according to the HBPD report.
The officer issued a victim’s rights pamphlet to the owner and submitted a capias request to the office of the state’s attorney for a third-degree felony charge for petit theft — which would usually garner a second-degree misdemeanor charge — against Murphy due to his prior criminal history.
According to state law, “a person who commits petit theft and who has previously been convicted two or more times of theft commits a felony of the third degree.”
Murphy was most recently arrested Jan. 13 for second-degree misdemeanor petit theft, to which he pled no contest. He received six months of probation and 35 hours of volunteer service.
Conviction on a third-degree felony is punishable with up to five years in prison, five years of probation and a $5,000 fine.