Waters's Holiday Film About Meat Thieves

John Waters discusses Fruitcake, his long-gestating holiday movie, and describes the as-yet-unmade film as "the story of a little boy and his family of meat thieves"in an interview with the Chicago Tribune.
"They come knock on your door and say, 'Meat man!' and you say, 'I'll take three porterhouse steaks and a ham. They shoplift it and bring it back, and you pay half the price that's on the label," Waters says.
The director of such popular films as Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, and Hairspray says he still hopes to make the film eventually, but financing has been a problem. "Independent films that cost $5 million are very hard to get made," Waters says. "I sold the idea, got a development deal, got paid a great salary to write it — and now the company is no longer around, which is the case with many independent film companies these days."

http://wglb-tv.blogspot.com/2010/12/waterss-holiday-film-about-meat-thieves.html

Christmas black market sparks East Lancashire food raids

• 
• By Nazia Parveen » Reporter

RESTAURANTS and butchers’ shops are being plundered by thieves trying to cash in on a Christmas black market for festive meats.

Four raids have seen thousands of pounds worth of meat stolen and police said the recession is believed to have sparked the crime spree.

The rising cost of meat has created a black market with individuals and food businesses looking to make savings.

Earlier this year, the problem caused a big rise in the number of deer poaching incidents with venison being sold on the cheap.

Crime gangs were said to be behind that problem, and it is feared organised groups may be responsible for the latest thefts.

Thieves targeted the Aspinall Arms in Mitton taking more than £400 worth of meat including hundreds of chipolata sausages, duck breasts, T-bone steaks and racks of lamb.

Raiders also stole a crate of meat from the Michelin-starred Northcote in Langho.

A third Ribble Valley place, the George Sharp and Son butcher's shop in Mellor Lane, Mellor, was hit when thieves used a claw hammer to smash a window and steal 12 T-bone steaks at the weekend.

And yesterday meat worth £1,000 was stolen from a van outside Riley Brothers butcher's shop in Burnley Road, Loveclough, Rossendale.

In Bolton-by-Bowland, police said they have had reports of three men acting suspiciously near the Bay Gate farm, which keeps turkeys.

Sergeant Conrad Tapp said: "Last year we did not have any thefts like this so it may have something to do with the economic climate and people selling this meat on the black market.

"With the value of the meat being taken and with the festive season fast approaching it would seem that these products will be sold on by the thieves to make a profit.

"There has also been an increase in sheep rustling and poaching across the North West and it seems that it is because prices of meat have shot up.

"We will be increasing vigilance in the areas that have been targeted and a full investigation is currently underway."

Rachel Wilcock, trading standards officer at Lancashire County Council, warned of the dangers of black market meat.

She said: "Our main concern is that we do not know how this meat is being stored once it has been stolen and people could be risking their health if they purchase it.

"We would urge people not to buy this meat if it is being sold out the back of a van or a market because it is not safe.”

Bosses at the Aspinall Arms in Mitton Road had only just purchased the meat in preparation for the seasonal rush of customers before the theft on Sunday.

Simon Forster, who has been manager at the pub and restaurant for more than eight years, said: "We were going to do a new sausage platter for customers to have with their glass of wine or beer and so we had bought hundreds of them.

"We've heard that thefts of meat are becoming more common and that thieves are targeting businesses like ours because the prices of food go up at this time of year and they can shift the meat on the black market to families pretty quickly."

In the incident in Loveclough the driver of the van, owned by James Law pork sellers of Bacup, had left the keys in the ignition, before opportunist thieves stole the vehicle at 12.20pm, police said.

The Ford Transit van was later found dumped in Weir, with meat worth £1,000 missing, police said.

Three men stole the meat from outside a portable building on the Northcote site, in Northcote Road, at around 9.30pm on Friday.

The Mellor butcher's shop was broken into over the weekend.

Samlesbury famer and owner of Huntley's farm shop, Eddie Cowpe, said the price of meat traditionally rose at this time of year, but this year there were other factors pushing the cost higher.

He said: "A lot of Scotland and other areas of England have been out of action for a week or so with the snow, and farmers are struggling to feed their animals and are having to get more feed in for them.

"Also, the price of haylage has gone from £25 a ton to £45 a ton, and diesel has gone from 50p a litre to 70p a litre.

"Unfortunately these increased costs have to be passed on to the customers."

Anyone with information should call Clitheroe police on 01200 443 344 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 01200 443 344 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0800 555 111 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

BREAK-INS: Simon Forster at the Aspinall Arms in Mitton

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/ribble_valley/8740174.Christmas_black_market_sparks_East_Lancs_food_raids/

Monday, December 13: Catch this meat thief

11:11am Monday 13th December 2010

• By Dan Hearn »

THE latest rogue in the Oxford Mail’s Christmas Badvent Calendar has been helping himself to meat without paying for it.

Officers want a word with this man in connection with shoplifting incidents at the Co-op store in Kennington Road, Kennington, on two separate occasions.

He appears behind door 13 of the calendar, which will see a new suspect wanted by police in Oxfordshire revealed every day in the run- up to Christmas.

The first incident happened shortly after 2pm on November 4, when the man shown here in the CCTV footage went into the store and filled a basket with meat.

He then fled without paying on a silver and blue mountain bike, having stolen £128 of meat.

The second incident happened four days later, when the man entered the store at 6.20pm.

Once again he went to the chilled food section and filled his basket up, this time with £30 worth of meat, before running out.

Pc Alex Norris said: “The CCTV footage of this man is very clear and I think anyone who knows him would recognise him.

“The footage also shows a very distinctive scar on top of the man’s head.

“Given that the man cycled away from the scene, it suggests he lives locally. Do you know this man? Have you seen this man around the Kennington area?

“Perhaps you have had someone matching this description calling at your door offering you some meat for sale in the run-up to Christmas?

“I would urge anyone with information about this man or his whereabouts to come forward and speak with us as soon as possible.”

Anyone with information should call Pc Norris on 08458 505505.

Alternatively, you can call the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555111.

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/8734422.Monday__December_13__Catch_this_meat_thief/

Stolen meat found after traffic stop in Bradenton

MANATEE — It took deputies about 22 minutes to locate and arrest Thomas Lackie after it was reported that he took two packages of steak from Publix, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office reports.

The meat department manager for the store in the 7900 block of U.S. 301 North called law enforcement at 9 p.m. Thursday to report the missing meat. He stated he observed Lackie, 39, take the steaks and flee, according to an arrest report.

The manager described Lackie to a sergeant who responded to the scene, the report stated. The sergeant pursued Lackie but lost sight of him in the intersection of Old Tampa Road and U.S. 301 North.

Lackie was riding a bike, the report stated.

Lackie rode in front of a second deputy in the 8000 block of U.S. 301. According to the report Lackie, stopped pedaling until he was threatened with a Taser.

The steaks were found in Lackie’s bookbag, still in Publix wrapping.

Deputies also reviewed a surveillance video from Publix that showed Lackie inside the store with the steaks in his hand and exiting with no steaks visible, the report said.

The value of the meat taken was $30.71.

Lackie was in Manatee County jail Friday night, charged with resisting arrest without violence and petty theft. He is being held on a $1,950 bond.

Read more: http://www.bradenton.com/2010/12/03/2786421/stolen-meat-found-after-traffic.html#ixzz188tOBMA3

Man accused of meat theft

Tuesday April 13 2010

THIS is the man accused of stealing over €350 worth of meat products from a southside supermarket.

Patrick Byrne (31) is alleged to have taken the legs of lamb from Superquinn in Blackrock on a number of dates in early March.

The accused, (right*) of Longford Street Little, Dublin 2, is alleged to have walked into the supermarket, picked up a number of legs and shoulders of lamb, and walked out without paying.

Dun Laoghaire District Court heard the DPP has directed summary disposal of the matter in the District Court. The matter was adjourned for four weeks.

(*the photo is absent from the website)

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/courts/man-accused-of-meat-theft-2135698.html

Meat stolen from local grocery store

Posted By Daily News Staff

Posted 8 hours ago

Two Chatham residents are charged with theft under $5,000 and possession of stolen property after meat was stolen from No Frills on Queen Street Saturday afternoon.

Chatham-Kent police allege a man entered the store around 3 p.m. and took $80 worth of meat before leaving without making an attempt to pay.

At about the same time, police said a woman entered the store and allegedly stole $80 worth of poultry.

Both thefts went unnoticed until Sunday, when the store manager reviewed the surveillance video, police said.

Both suspects, a 23-year-old man and 20-year-old woman, are charged.

They were held for a bail hearing.

Source: Chatham Daily News

Local food pantry dealing with theft of hundreds of pounds of meat

A La Crosse food pantry is dealing with a slight setback.

It comes after someone stole about 500 pounds of donated frozen meat from a chest freezer at the Wafer food pantry last week.

The executive director says it doesn't appear someone broke into the building but that people are coming and going throughout the day.

She says they can replace frozen hamburger patties for about 25 cents a pound, but it'd be too expensive to restock the donated food that was in the freezer. Wafer Executive Director Heidi Blanke says, "we can replace 500 pounds not too expensively but we won't get the variety of meat that was in there. There was shrimp, steaks, ribs, all kinds of wonderful items that we don't normally get if we had to purchase them."

Blanke says they do food pick-up's from a local store about three times a week and they also buy from food banks. However, the variety in foods usually comes from donations.

WKBT.com

Store is peppered with meat thieves

times.series@archant.co.uk
25 March 2010

Retailers warned that an area is suffering a shoplifting epidemic - of posh meat and biscuits.

Despite police officers stepping up the fight against crime by launching a new security marking system, unperturbed thieves are stealing vast quantities of steak and expensive meat joints, and flogging them to recession-hit middle class families.

Gilbert Abou-Haydor, manager at Marks & Spencer in Kilburn High Road, said the store has suffered a large rise in thefts of their top end meats and biscuits, and that the problem had got so bad he has resorted to electronically tagging his meats.

He said: "Shoplifters are stealing from our meat section. Yesterday a man headed straight to our meat counter and scooped up about ten pieces of steak.

"When I asked him if he intended to buy them he said no and put them back. Some are so persistent - you throw them out but they lurk by the doors ready to come in again when the security guards aren't working."

Council officers think thieves are stealing more and more expensive meat and luxury biscuits, and selling them to cash-strapped customers who can no longer afford the fine dining experience.

Carmen Jones, senior community safety officer at Camden Council, said: "The shoplifters come and steal from shops like M&S and then sell it round the corner or in the local pub."

Police from Brent and Camden who patrol the high road have vowed to tackle the phenomenon by handing out property markers to retailers to help track down their stolen goods.

So far nearly 30 retailers have signed up to the scheme.

Maureen Flannery, deputy head of Brent Council's community partnership trust, which oversees policing in the area, said: "We are determined to stop these thieves.

"We want to raise the confidence of people so that they can help tackle crime by signing up to the scheme."

If the markers are successful in Kilburn High Road, it will be rolled out to other parts of the borough.

kate.ferguson@archant.co.uk

Link: Wembley and Kingsbury Times

Police: Beef bandit tried to steal nearly $6,000 in tenderloin

Man also allegedly tried to get store security in on the plan

By CASEY MCNERTHNEY
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Some criminals go for cash, copper wire, electronics, fancy jewelry.

But Jimmie Lane Jr.? Police say his tastes ran more toward boneless beef tenderloin.

Court documents also suggest the 58-year-old is a meathead bandit.

About 8 p.m. March 23, police were called to the QFC in the 400 block of 15th Avenue East where employees said an unknown man was loading boxes of frozen meat into a blue Saturn.

As officers were en route, an employee called back saying store security was struggling with the suspect, later identified as Lane.

Police arrived and found his car backed to the loading dock on the northeast side of the store. The rear hatchback was open. A large box of beef was in the trunk, investigators said.

"Four more boxes of meat were seen sitting on the edge of the loading dock," Officer Daniel Auderer wrote in his report. "A pair of red bolt cutters was lying on the ground near the vehicle. A few feet from the bolt cutters was a screwdriver with a wooden handle also lying on the ground."

Court documents say the meat Lane allegedly tried to steal was worth $5,637,54.

A QFC employee first noticed Lane about 7:30 p.m. in the store's stockroom. He said he was looking for the bathroom.

Police believe at some point, he tried to cut the chain that operated the roll-up door from the loading dock to the stockroom.

That is, security guards told police, until he realized the loading dock door wasn't locked.

Lane allegedly asked the guard if he was an officer. The man said no, so Lane asked him to help carry boxes, saying he would "cut him in on the deal," according to investigators.

The man helped in what appeared to be an attempt to gather evidence. After loading beef into the blue Saturn, the security guard told police he showed his badge and identified himself to Lane.

"When I tried to stop him," the man told police, "he tried to stab me with a screwdriver."

Lane tried to flee with a box of meat in his trunk, but another security guard opened the passenger side of his Saturn, struggled with Lane and handcuffed him, according to the report.

It was time to stick a fork in him. He was done.

Police said store security video shows Lane going into the back of QFC with bolt cutters after his car was parked by the loading dock. He's also allegedly shown stealing tenderloin twice from the frozen meat locker.

Prosecutors said he's a flight risk -- Lane has had 104 warrants since 1985.

His history includes convictions for vehicle theft, three burglary cases, three theft cases, possession of stolen property, forgery, DUI and unlawful issuance of bank checks. Lane also has a pending first-degree theft case in King County Superior Court and a third-degree theft case.

While being transported to King County Jail, Lane admitted to stealing the beef, but denied trying to stab the security officer, police said.

In lieu of $101,00 bail, he remains in jail, where staff Capt. Troy Bacon said Lane will receive sack lunches and other meals.

"Inmates are served a variety of food," he said. "But it won't be steak, let me tell you that."

©1996-2010 Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Bail revoked for meat theft

A man who expected a “slap on the wrist” for stealing steaks from Safeway will stay behind bars pending his trial after a judge revoked his bail.

David Vilac was on bail for theft. Earlier this week a Safeway security officer hiding steaks in his jacket spotted him.

When confronted, he told the officer he didn’t know why he did it, but wouldn’t get more than a slap on the wrist.

The Crown applied to have Vilac’s bail revoked, noting he committed the offence while on bail for allegations of same offence.

Vilac was not in court when the Crown made its application. A warrant was issued for his arrest.

The Kaloomps Daily News

Athens City Police Nab Hometown Hamburglar

A man arrests a steak thief hiding in his shed.

"The local police arrested this fellow who was hiding on my property(actually in the bathroom of my garage).He'd just ganked a bunch of steaks from Hometown Groceries.My dog woke me up,saying,"Yo,Gabe,some fool's hidin' in my bathroom from the cops...he has steak,too..."

From Gannibus

A Meat Truck Goes Missing in Prescott

Written by Lynne LaMaster

Friday, 05 March 2010 01:11

Photo from the Bridgford Foods web site, and shows examples of the types of foods that may have been taken. On Wednesday, Matthew Miller returned to where he parked his work truck on Union Street, after grabbing lunch at a local pizza place about a block away.    But there Miller encountered a problem - the white 1997 Isuzu dually, with California license plate: 5N50340, had disappeared. Half full of gasoline and with the name "Bridgford" printed in red on all four sides of the truck, it simply was not there.    Miller had parked in the first angled parking spot at the northeast corner of Union and Cortez Streets, taking both sets of keys with him. Miller stated that he believed he had locked the door of the vehicle, and was only gone about 10 minutes. He said that the door sometimes doesn't work right if you don't shut it properly, though. Police called to the scene noted that there was no broken window glass anywhere in the parking spot. They doublechecked with police dispatch, but there was no record of the truck being towed away. Miller reported that he had gone to several businesses selling Bridgford packaged meats (steak, jerky, etc.), but about $6000 of product remained in the refrigerated section of the truck. Add that to the cost of a handheld "intermec" computerized scanner ($500-$600) and the estimated value of the truck (about $5000) and the total value of the theft is estimated to be about $11,600. Miller said he had no idea how someone could have taken it. According to Prescott police reports, the investigation is continuing.

Steak theft at M&S, Finsbury Pavement, London

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/edwardbetts/3083750765/

Sausages stashed down pants

Monday, November 2, 2009

© The Cairns Post

A MAN has been caught stuffing sausages down his pants in a bizarre alleged theft at an Innisfail supermarket.

The 38-year-old Innisfail man was charged with stealing after he was seen leaving IGA Innisfail about 6.15pm on Friday.

Police allege he had items of meat concealed in his shorts and several other items in his pockets.

The items were not returned to sale, police said.

The man will appear Innisfail Magistrates’ Court on November 30.

It's not the first strange shoplifting case at the store.

In July, shoplifters allegedly walked out of the same supermarket with whole trolley loads of stolen goods, two days in a row.

And in August, a woman was placed on six months’ probation after she tried to walk out of Cairns Big W and Woolworths with $1500 of stolen groceries and clothes for her children.


http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2009/11/02/73335_local-news.html

Accused Center meat thief runs to the wrong place

Posted: Feb 24, 2010 9:47 PM GST UST

 (KTRE) - A man, who police say stole many steaks from a Center grocery store, sought refuge at the wrong place Tuesday morning before his arrest.

According to Center Police Det. Joey Haley, David Lewis, 30, of Timpson engaged in a foot chase with police after it was reported he and another man stole $169 worth of steaks from Brookshire Brothers around 8:30 a.m. Unfortunately for him, he ran right to the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, where he was arrested.

Haley said upon arrest, a couple steaks fell out of his pants.

Haley said a manager at the store reported that he saw Lewis and Justin Fulmer, 31, of Center, stealing the steaks on the store's surveillance system. He then called police and told him he saw Lewis going back into the store.

Police managed to find Fulmer in the getaway car just down the road from the store and arrested him without incident.

Another officer tried to stop Lewis as he was coming out of the store but he ran away, crossing U.S. Highway 96 and nearly getting run over, Haley said.

Haley said jail inmates working outside of the sheriff's office managed to stop Lewis, where he was arrested.
Fulmer was arrested on misdemeanor theft while Lewis is charged with the theft charge and a misdemeanor evading arrest charge.

The steaks were returned to the store. A manager at the store said the steaks were thrown away.

http://www.ktre.com/Global/story.asp?S=12038713

Homeless man admits £38 bacon theft

March 01, 2010

A homeless man tried – and failed – to bring home the bacon, quite literally.

Michael Pearce appeared at Reading Magistrates’ Court last Monday where he admitted one count of theft.
He confessed to trying to steal bacon worth £38 from Sainsbury’s in Reading on Saturday, February 13.

However, the 32-year-old was caught in the act and forced to hand back the goods which he planned to sell for drug money, the court heard.

Rebecca McMasters, defending, explained drug addict Pearce had previously been in jail.

“In 2002 he took himself to Spain to get clean. When he came back he could not get work and ended up back on the streets,” she said.

“He tried to commit suicide because he did not want to be like he was before.

“He has recently started drinking, not something he wants to do, because he has been so cold outside it is the only way.

“He got so low over Christmas he nearly gave up again.

“His parents are elderly and they cannot help him. As far as he is concerned it was the end of the road.
“All he wants is somewhere to live and you will never see him again.”

Magistrates ordered him pay £70 but said they would accept the two days he spent in jail before the hearing in lieu of payment.

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/s/2066738_homeless_man_admits_38_bacon_theft

Bacon thief's pledge to quit drugs

Published Date:
26 February 2010 

 

By Nick Hyde

 

A FATHER-TO-BE was determined to kick his heroin habit for his child, Blackpool magistrates were told.

Mark Ashworth, 24, of Southfleet Place, Fleetwood, admitted theft of bacon from the port's One Stop Shop and breaching a conditional discharge imposed for stealing bacon and sausages from the same shop.

Claire Hilton, prosecuting, said Ashworth was seen on CCTV at the shop on Lindel Road putting four packs of bacon inside his jacket.

Patrick Nelligan, def-ending, said his client had been addicted to heroin for some years. On the day of the offences he was not on a methadone prescription. He stole the bacon so he could sell it to pay for heroin.

Ashworth's partner was expecting a baby. He wanted to rid himself of heroin and was now on a methadone prescription.

He was fined £200 but could not pay so magistrates said time spent in custody would serve in lieu of the fine. He had to pay £10 compensation.


http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/Bacon-thief39s-pledge-to-quit.6106550.jp

Plucky couple meat out justice to thief

 

Dinner lady Tina Adams and roofer Keith Scriven brought home the bacon after making mincemeat of a thief who stole joints fom a Black Country butcher.

The couple pursued the thief after spotting a butcher in his red and white apron chasing the man through Dudley town centre.

When they caught up with him, the have-go-heroes rugby tackled him to the ground and handed the stolen pork and beef back to butcher Steven Homer.

As a thank you he presented the pair with a beef joint for their Sunday lunch.


Tina, aged 43, and her partner of three years Keith, 47, had been out shopping for paint but had made a quick pitstop for a breakfast at a cafe in the town on Saturday morning.

It was while on their way back to their car they saw the extraordinary sight of a butcher chasing a thief complete in his red and while apron.

“We couldn’t believe what was happening, it certainly isn’t something you see everyday,” Tina said.
“The butcher was shouting ‘stop that man, stop that man! “I don’t know what came over us really, really. One second we were standing there the next Keith was chasing after him.

“I decided I might as well run as well. I don’t know how we did it with our shopping going everywhere.
“We caught him up near the Shakespeare pub. Keith leapt and tackled him to the ground.

“I think we both got on top of him. He was struggling away. This bloke was about 6ft 3ins. I’m only about 5ft 2ins and Keith is about 5ft 6ins. I guess it was a surprise for this bloke.”

Tina said when the courageous couple had pinned the thief to the ground, they immediately felt something within his jacket.

“I didn’t know what it was to begin with,” she said. “Then I realised it must be the meat. “When the butchers got to us and we got this bloke to his feet we saw he had four joints of pork and beef in the inside of his puffer jacket.”

http://www.expressandstar.com/2010/02/17/plucky-couple-meat-out-justice-to-thief/