By KHT Staff
TAINAN — A police officer has been sentenced to 10 months in prison after a series of unusually petty thefts involving bananas, avocado seedlings and toilet paper.
The officer, surnamed Wang, first climbed over a wall behind his police station with a sickle and cut down two bunches of bananas belonging to a local resident. About two weeks later, he stopped beside nearby farmland before dawn, pulled two young avocado trees from the ground and replanted them at his home.
Later that same day, Wang returned to the police station while his colleagues were out on patrol and took a bag of toilet paper intended for use inside the station.
The case began to fall apart after the owners reported the missing plants. Security footage showed a suspect who looked familiar to investigators, eventually leading police back to one of their own officers.
A search recovered the avocado seedlings, the missing toilet paper and clothing seen in the footage. Wang initially claimed he had permission to take the bananas and had purchased the seedlings, but he could not provide proof and later admitted the offences.
The Tainan District Court sentenced him to a combined 10 months in prison, saying police officers are expected to respect the law and other people’s property.
The ruling can still be appealed.
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