Off The Beat: Man jailed in tongue heist in Fort Pierce

Will Greenlee | Treasure Coast Newspapers

FORT PIERCE — A 42-year-old man wasn’t accused of speaking in tongues.

He was, however, accused of swiping three beef tongues.

Not to mention two steaks, a rib roast and other items.

The case of the alleged meat marauder went down Oct. 24 at a Publix in the 2500 block of South U.S. 1 in Fort Pierce, an arrest affidavit states.

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A loss prevention worker told Fort Pierce police she saw the man with a shopping cart with two subs and two drinks. He also had an empty backpack.

She said the man went to the deli, ordering two packages of lunch meat, which is meat eaten for lunch, and put them in the cart.

From the meat department “he selected two steaks, a rib roast and three beef tongues and placed them in the cart,” the affidavit states.

A steak is a slice of meat, often cow, but sometimes fish, such as salmon.

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That differs from a rib roast, which is “a cut of beef taken from the small end of the ribs and containing a large rib eye and two or more ribs,” according to dictionary.com.

A cow has 13 ribs on each side, with butchers referring to them in ascending order from front to back, according to Cook’s Illustrated. Ribs 1-5 are in the chuck section, while 6-12 are the rib area and the 13th is a portion of the loin.

An entire seven rib roast can weigh as much as 22 pounds. Butchers many times separate the roast into two smaller roasts, known as the first cut and second cut, Cook’s Illustrated states.

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Meanwhile, the man got some milk and proceeded along aisle 13, where he’s accused of loading all the items in the backpack.

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Investigators said he bought the milk, but neglected to pay for the $162.89 of other goods.

The man, a Fort Pierce resident, said he was hungry and hadn’t eaten in several days.

He was arrested on a misdemeanor larceny charge and take to the St. Lucie County Jail.