Man Blames Theft of Empty Beer Cans on Crack Habit

WATERFORD, Mich. – A Waterford man told police his crack cocaine habit drove him to steal nearly 250 empty beer cans from a 7-Eleven store.

Police in the Detroit suburb say the 46-year-old man opened the door to an outside storage room at the store early Tuesday, grabbed a large bag filled with the cans, put them in his car and drove away.

Officers stopped the man, recovered 247 cans — worth $24.70 under Michigan's 10-cent deposit law — and arrested him.

The Detroit Free Press reports the man was given a citation for larceny and released pending a court appearance in several weeks. Police didn't release his name.