Museum burglary interrupted when workers show up and find armed man, Florida cops say

A Florida museum burglary was thwarted when staff showed up for work and found a man hiding among the exhibits, according to investigators.

It happened Friday, Nov. 10, at the Elliott Museum in Stuart, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Stuart is about 105 miles north of Miami on the state’s Atlantic Coast.

“Employees at the Elliott Museum on Hutchinson Island walked into work this morning to quite a surprise,” the sheriff’s office said.

“They usually are the first ones in and the guests arrive later. But not today. Employees were surprised to see (a man) was already inside, and he wasn’t just admiring museum items, he was taking them.”

The 42-year-old got inside via a door that had been left unlocked and he “took full advantage of his after hours tour,” officials said.

Photos shared on social media show he surrendered without resistance at the bottom of a flight of stairs.

“Inside his backpack he had items he took from the museum, as well as a knife,” the sheriff’s office said.

Details of the items in the backpack were not released. The museum reports no exhibits were damaged.

The man, who lives in Port St. Lucie, is “charged with burglary and theft,” officials said.

The Elliott Museum holds “local history exhibits, temporary exhibits and a variety of collections to include vintage cars, baseball, artwork (and) Americana.”

This story was originally published November 13, 2023 at 6:54 AM with the headline "Museum burglary interrupted when workers show up and find armed man, Florida cops say."