Elderly Booze Bandits Caught Red-Handed Stealing Liquor

SPRING HILL – Two elderly St. Petersburg men are charged with Grand Theft after allegedly committing a string of liquor store thefts in Hernando County.

According to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office, 64-year-old Michael Terrance Brinson and 70-year-old Johnnie Ray Magee stole several large bottles of liquor from the Walmart Liquor Store on Commercial Way and then fled in a white Mercedes.

Deputies responding to the area recalled three active theft investigations involving the same suspects that occurred between November 9th and December 8th.

Within minutes of the theft, deputies spotted the suspect vehicle pulling into the ABC Liquor Store on Commercial Way, where a traffic stop was conducted.

Both suspects were taken into custody and a large number of unopened liquor bottles were located in the backseat and trunk of the vehicle.

Magee is charged with Grand Theft and Driving on a Suspended License and was released on a $10,000 bond. Brinson is also charged with Grand Theft and released on a $5,000 bond.