Teenager shoplifting in costume store forced to hold a sign out the front saying he got caught (while in costume, of course)



An 18-year-old Virginia man who was caught shoplifting at a costume store has accepted a rather unusual punishment.



Andrew Perry, the owner of the Halloween Express costume store in Charlottesville, told the light-fingered teenager that he would not call the police - if instead the youth stood in front of the store with a sign saying he was caught shoplifting.



In a bizarre twist, Mr Perry also told the boy that he would have to dress as Sesame Street character Bert, as in Bert and Ernie.

Unusual punishment: The unnamed 18-year-old has been forced to wear a Bert costume and hold a sign saying he was caught shopliting

So the teenager agreed to spend six hours over two days in front of the store, in costume, holding a sign that reads: 'I got caught shoplifting at Halloween Express.'

Mr Perry said he came up with the unorthodox punishment because he didn't want the shoplifter to have a criminal record.

Store owner: Andrew Perry, of Halloween Express, said that he did not want to involve police in the incident

He said: 'It could mess the rest of his life up - 18 years old, you go to get another job and it shows that you've been caught shoplifting. Nobody wants to have someone working for them who has a criminal background.'



The punishment echoes that of a more serious crime in Houston.

A man who stole money from victims of crime has been ordered to stand on a busy city street with a sign saying he is a thief - every weekend for the next six years.

Daniel Mireles has been walking back and forth on Westheimer in Houston - in front of the Galleria shopping centre - with a sign saying he is a thief.

In large capital letters, his sign reads: 'I am a thief. I stole $250,000 from the Harris County crime victim's fund. Daniel Mireles.'



Judge Kevin Fine ordered the public humiliation as part of Mireles's sentence.

His wife Eloise, a former county employee, was also convicted of theft in July. She'll serve the same public punishment once she gets out of jail.

He also force4d them to display a sign in front of their home that reads: 'The occupants of this residence are convicted theives. They stole $250,000 from the Harris County Crime Victm's fund. Signed, Judge Kevin Fine.'