It’s not every day that a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese ends with the mascot in handcuffs.
In a bizarre and now-viral scene, a man dressed as Chuck E. Cheese was arrested in full costume at a Tallahassee location during a child’s birthday celebration. The suspect, 41-year-old Jermell Jones, was taken into custody on Wednesday, July 23, on multiple felony charges related to credit card fraud.
According to police, Jones is facing charges of theft of a credit card, criminal use of personal identification information, and fraudulent use of a credit card more than twice in a six-month period.
The arrest went down shortly after 6:30 p.m. at the Chuck E. Cheese on Sharer Road as families and kids looked on in shock. Photos and video of the arrest—complete with a costumed Chuck E. being escorted out—quickly made the rounds on social media.
Tallahassee Police Department spokesperson Alicia Hill told reporters that officers initially planned to make the arrest outside, away from the crowd. But when they approached Jones, he allegedly resisted. “He immediately tensed up,” Hill said. “At that point, officers made the decision to detain him on the spot, prioritizing the safety of customers, the suspect, and themselves.”
Moments later, a woman approached officers with video evidence and claimed Jones had used her child support debit card to make fraudulent purchases. She said the last time she used the card was during her child’s birthday party at the same Chuck E. Cheese on June 28.
Jones initially denied the accusations but later admitted to using a relative’s card, though he only identified her as “Key,” according to the police report. Officers also found a small amount of marijuana on him during the arrest.
After reviewing surveillance footage from a nearby store and matching it to transaction records, investigators confirmed Jones had used the stolen card multiple times. He was still carrying the card when arrested in costume.
Jones was booked and later released on a $1,000 bond.
Chuck E. Cheese issued a statement acknowledging the incident, saying, “We have taken the appropriate action concerning the subject employee. For any further information, please contact local law enforcement.”
No word yet on how the birthday party ended, but one thing’s for sure: it’s a celebration those kids (and parents) won’t soon forget.
With a name like Jermell he was destined to be a loser in life.
So many want what they do not have
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