Man Breaks Into Van In Jail Parking Lot, Gets Jail Wish

STUART, Fla. -- A West Palm Beach man really wanted to go to jail, and he got his wish after he broke into a van in the jail's parking lot and stole a deputy's purse, authorities said.

Bradley Charles Barbier, 23, called the Martin County jail Thursday evening to say he was coming in to serve a weekend sentence, sheriff's spokeswoman Jenell Atlas said.

Jail officials told him he wasn't scheduled to turn himself in, but he showed up anyway.

Barbier was being "loud and rude," Atlas said. The man left after jail officials threatened to lock him up.

A deputy reported seeing Barbier outside the jail about three hours later, according to a report. He appeared to be intoxicated. The deputy told him to leave, but he said he was waiting for a ride, the report stated.

Barbier later told another deputy that he was waiting for his girlfriend, who was in the jail visiting someone. He said he needed to get into her car because she had locked the keys inside.

He pointed to a white van, and the deputy noticed that the passenger window had been smashed out. The glove box was empty, and a purse was sitting under a tree where Barbier had been, according to the report.

The purse and vehicle belonged to a deputy. Barbier was charged with burglary, theft and criminal mischief. He still was being held Tuesday on a $10,750 bond.

"We always appreciate when they come right to us," Atlas said.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press.

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