Crime & Safety

Toilet Thief Strikes Again in Dunedin, Clearwater

The toilets in the Dunedin Public Library aren't the only ones to be victimized by thieves. Valves were also taken from toilets at the Dunedin Historical Society and Museum and three locations in Clearwater, and police are looking for a suspect.

The toilets in the men's restroom at the Dunedin Public Library aren't the only ones to be victimized by thieves, and authorities are working on tracking down a suspect.

It turns out that toilet flush valves were also recently stolen from the restrooms at the Dunedin Historical Society and Museum, Bay News 9 reports, and from at least three Clearwater locations.

The valves, which cost the city about $75 apiece to replace, were reported stolen from the library last week, as first reported by Dunedin Patch. 

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Similar crimes were also reported at the Clearwater Main Library, the Checkers on Gulf to Bay Boulevard and McDonald's, at 539 S. Missouri Ave., also were hit, according to Clearwater Police.

"(Investigators) have developed a suspect and are working to locate him at this time," Elizabeth Watts, Clearwater Police spokeswoman, said in an email.

Find out what's happening in Dunedinwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Sloan parts control water flow into the toilet, and are located on the outside of most commercial grade toilets.

A Pinellas County Sheriff's Office spokersperson told Bay News 9 that authorities believe whoever took the valve knew what they were doing because they turned the water off. 

Without the valves, the toilets won't flush, leaving the Clearwater library's restroom out of order, Bay News 9 reports.

“In all of the time that I’ve been in libraries both here and libraries all across the country, I have never heard of this particular kind of situation coming up before,” Barbara Pickell, the Clearwater library's director, told Bay News 9.


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