A Massachusetts man released from protective custody at the crack of dawn Tuesday morning was arrested again a short time later for allegedly stealing a donated bicycle out of the lobby of the police station on his way out.

Twenty-eight-year-old James Hinkley was down and out. He’d been placed in protective custody earlier on charges of drunkenness. Despite telling police that he had no place to stay they decided to “release” him early Tuesday. Really early. According to reports, police released him at 1:30 in the morning.

A quick weather check for Hyannis, Massachusetts shows Tuesday, January 5th coming in at a high of 30 degrees, with a low of 23 degrees, which means police put him out on a below-freezing morning.

Barnstable police Sgt. Sean Sweeney told the Cape Cod Times that Hinkley was released in the front lobby of the police station, where some late donations for the Toys for Tots program were being stored.

As Hinkley left the building a police officer watched him grab a donated bicycle from the Toys for Tots pile, walk it out of the lobby and ride off on it. He didn’t get far.

Quick to defend our lady justice, the officer alerted patrols in the area, who found the bicycle leaning up against the nearby Cape Codder Resort. Meanwhile, Hinkley, for some (unexplained in the article) reason, had returned to the police station on his own, where he was placed under arrest for larceny.

According to Cape Cod Times, Hinkley argued that he had no place to stay and needed the bicycle, which he claimed other visitors to the police station had suggested he take.

A quick MapQuest search reveals that the distance between the police station and the Cape Codder Resort is only 0.30 miles–or about 1,500 feet–away from the police station.

Hinkley was arraigned on charges of larceny later that day in Barnstable District Court.

[Via: Cape Cod Times]

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