Courtney Elizabeth Backes, 32
Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office
A woman accused of shoplifting thought she could make her getaway on a bicycle. Then, she took her top off.
Courtney Elizabeth Backes, 32, was spotted riding and weaving down the center of Highway 98 in Okaloosa Island — between Fort Walton Beach and Destin — Thursday night, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. At one point, she took off her top.
When a deputy asked Backes to stop, she only had two words for him.
“Make me,” she said, according to the sheriff’s office.
That’s when the deputy got ahead and stopped her when she tried to pedal past, according to the report.
Before her topless escape, deputies say Backes was inside Surfside Outfitters, 1450 Miracle Strip Parkway in Fort Walton Beach, stashing a $25 T-shirt into her bag. The store owner told deputies Backes also walked out with $20 flip-flops.
The items were recovered, and Backes was charged with retail theft and resisting arrest without violence. Deputies say she has no known local address.
Real Time/Breaking News Reporter. There’s never a dull moment in Florida — and I cover it. Graduated with honors from Florida International University. Find me on Twitter @TweetMichelleM