INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Can your pants double as a wine cellar?

In the case of a Sebastian man, the answer apparently is yes, according to an Indian River County Sheriff’s Office report.

A deputy on May 26 went to an address in the 11300 block of U.S. 1 in Sebastian for a suspicious person and found John Martin, 66, on the grass.

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Martin, who smelled of booze, said he was resting on his way to check his car in a grocery store parking lot.

A deputy offered Martin a ride, noting he didn’t appear to be “able to drive in his current state.”

Martin allowed the deputy to search him, and the investigator reported extracting an unopened bottle of Barefoot Pinot Grigio from in the front of his pants.

Pinot Grigio typically is a light, refreshing white wine, the grapes of which are grayish purple and mostly grown in northeastern Italy. It is not to be confused with Pinot Noir, a medium-bodied red.

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Meanwhile, Martin, who evidently kept his Pinot in his pants, said a homeless man in front of a Speedway gas station gave him the 750ml bottle.

Deputies asked Martin whether cameras in the Speedway would show him absconding with it.

He said probably.

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Surveillance video showed Martin select a $13.99 bottle of wine at 8:08 a.m. and shortly afterwards stuff the bottle in his pants and walk out.

Martin was arrested on a shoplifting charge.

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