Man faked burglary to avoid going to work, say Fla. cops

BRANDON, Fla. - A Tampa-area man was arrested after local deputies say he staged a fake burglary at his own home, just to avoid going to work, reports CBS Tampa Bay.

What's your excuse for being out of the office?

Dwayne Yeager, 31, of Brandon, is facing charges of providing false information to local police after he called the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) early Monday to report that his home had been broken into and appeared to be ransacked, deputies told the station.

"My door's open, my windows to my son's bedroom are wide open," Yeager said in his call to the HCSO non-emergency line, the station reports. "My TV's in there on the ground."

He reportedly told the dispatcher that he had seen a "kind of little Honda Civic pulling away" as he arrived home.

Deputies say they arrived to find the front door and the front bedroom window open. The interior appeared to have been ransacked, but deputies did not find any signs of forced entry into the residence, according to the station.

Neighbors told deputies that Yeager was seen leaving the home at 6:30 a.m. Monday and returning to the residence less than an hour later. One neighbor reportedly told police Yeager was seen walking in the front door, lifting blinds, and also opening the front bedroom window. The source said Yeager then was seen standing in the front yard waiting until deputies arrived.

The witness also said there was no vehicle at his house prior to his arrival, according to the station.

Deputies subsequently confronted Yeager, who they say then admitted he staged the burglary to avoid going to work, reports the station.

"He stated his wife was adamant that he go to work and he didn't want to," the report read, according to CBS Tampa.

Yeager reportedly told deputies that he didn't think he could go to jail for reporting the staged crime.

Wrong. He was booked at the Orient Road Jail on one count of giving false information to law enforcement, according to Time.com.

By the way, Time reports Yeager works - when he works, that is - at Doosan Hydro Technology, a company that says it specializes in design and construction of wastewater treatment plants.

His job description? He's called a "fabricator."

Go figure.