Florida sheriff: Burglars call 911 to get help moving stuff

Category: Human Interest

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. belongings / bɪˈlɔŋ ɪŋz / (n.) – the things that a person owns, especially those that can be carried
    Example:

    Be mindful of your belongings when you’re traveling to a new place.


  2. law enforcement / lɔ ɛnˈfɔrs mənt / (n.) – the agencies or officials responsible for stopping or investigating crimes and catching lawbreakers
    Example:

    The city’s law enforcement tracked down some big criminals.


  3. be welcome to (do something) / bi ˈwɛl kəm tu / (idiom) – to be free or allowed to do something
    Example:

    If you want to use the library upstairs, you’re welcome to do so.


  4. burglary / ˈbɜr glə ri / (n.) – the act of illegally entering a house or building to steal
    Example:

    Two men entered our neighbor’s house last night and stole some jewelry. They were caught and charged with burglary.


  5. residence / ˈrɛz ɪ dəns / (n.) – the place where a person lives
    Example:

    We lived near the city center for three years, but we eventually changed residence.


Article

Read the text below.

Two people in Florida were arrested after one of them made a 911 call to get help with moving their belongings from a home they were burglarizing, authorities said.


Deputies responded to a home after a 911 call was made but nobody spoke, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said. At the home, the deputies concluded that nobody lived there, but they found a male suspect and his girlfriend inside the home after entering it through an unlocked door.


Deputies had been searching for the male suspect after identifying him from security video as a burglar at a Dollar General store in Poinciana, Florida, where several items were stolen earlier in the day, the sheriff’s office said in a statement. Poinciana is about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Orlando.


While talking to deputies, the female suspect told them that she had called 911 for the purpose of having law enforcement help them move their belongings from the house they were burglarizing. They also wanted to get a ride to the airport so they could spend the weekend in New York, the sheriff’s office said.


“Deputies DID help them with their belongings, and DID give them a ride, but it wasn’t to the airport … it was to the Polk Pokey,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post. “And they are welcome to stay there all weekend long. The Polk Pokey is much better than New York anyway.”


The male suspect was charged with burglary and theft related to the store and also burglary of a residence. The female suspect was charged with burglary of a residence, according to the sheriff’s office.


This article was provided by The Associated Press.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • Why do you think these kinds of events are reported in the news (ex. for entertainment)? Discuss.
  • Do you personally like reading news about entertaining or odd events? Do you think these should be included in the news? Why or why not? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • Do you think the emergency hotlines in your country are efficient? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Have you ever heard of any pranks or interesting calls made to your country’s emergency lines? What do you think should be done to people who don’t use the emergency lines appropriately (ex. be fined, be blacklisted)? Why? Discuss.