Henry Brettschneider, 56, is homeless and now charged with larceny after an incident that began when he fell asleep in the blood pressure cuff chair inside a CVS in Trenton.
Brettschneider may have fallen asleep, but it was CVS workers who failed to see that he'd dozed off before locking the store for the night.
And the backlash on social media appears to have CVS trying to back down on their desire to see Brettschneider prosecuted.
But that appears to be too late for Brettschneider who has already been arraigned in the case.
It all began Friday night when Brettschneider fell asleep in the chair in the pharmacy area.
He woke up around 1:00 am the next day and began walking around the store on West Road. Hungry, he snacked on some Fig Newtons and chocolate milk.
The alarm company notified police that there was movement inside the store and officers responded.
When they arrived, they surrounded the building and one officer noticed Brettschneider walking inside the store and grabbing a bottle of pop before heading to the front doors.
Brettschneider reportedly opened the interior door and once inside the vestibule, an officer commanded him to put the bottle of pop down and put his hands up.
Brettschneider complied. And then officers directed him to unlock and open the exterior door. He was then handcuffed and told officers, who didn't find any sign of forced entry, that the employees locked him in the store when they closed up for the night.
Brettschneider says he woke up and realized the store was closed.
Brettschneider said he took the pop because he was "homeless and was thirsty," according to the police report.
Police say Brettschneider admitted to taking what he thought was a watch which he was wearing when talking to officers. It was later discovered that it was actually a heart rate monitor.
During a search of the store is when it was discovered that Brettschneider ate the Fig Newtons and drank some chocolate milk.
Police contacted the regional loss prevention officer for CVS who "advised that they would like to pursue charges for the stolen items," according to the report.
Brettschneider was then arrested and this week he was arraigned on a misdemeanor larceny charge.
His bond was set at $5,000 (10%).
According to police, there is a "Mental Order" out of Wayne County for Brettschneider. Records also showed two misdemeanor warrants for his arrest with charges that include urinating in public and larceny.
Workers at another nearby business who did not want to be identified say Brettschneider appears to have some mental health issues. They spotted him last week and say they offered him a cup of coffee.
We're told employees at a local bank seemed to feel sorry for Brettschneider and offered him some pizza.
Brettschneider is due back in court Tuesday in the larceny case from CVS.
CVS has not replied to our requests for comment.
