BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A Florida man has been arrested and charged after the Palm Bay Police Department said he stole pool floats for sex "instead of raping woman."
Authorities stopped Christopher Monnin, 35, on his bike around 1:25 a.m. Thursday as a suspicious person.
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Authorities say Monnin was carrying a white garbage bag filled with deflated pool floats.
According to officials, in the past seven months, the city of Palm Bay has been plagued with burglaries in which the suspect cuts the screen and enters a victim's back pool area, stealing only pool floats.
There have been 13 reports made at this time. The victims stated that they had been robbed several times by Monnin but only reported the burglary after the second or third time it happened.
Monnin spoke with authorities and said he went into the backyard pool area because he was able to see the floats from the road. He added that he had stolen several pool floats from multiple locations and would occasionally have to cut the screen to get inside.
Monnin drove officers to the vacant house where he keeps his pool floats. Officials say there were apporximatly 75 floats inside, including ones that the victims described.
Monnin told authorities that he "sexually gratifies himself" with the pool floats instead of raping women.
The victim in this case chose to pursue charges and stated that she had been a burglary victim on two other occasions.
She told officials that her screen was cut in order to open the lock she had secured the night before.
Monnin is charged with occupied residential burglary, petite theft and criminal michief. His bond was set at $500.