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After he catches a nap, police catch up with him

A man discovers a snoozing acquaintance in his home and sends him on. Later, he discovers theft.

By JOSE CARDENAS
Published August 29, 2006

LARGO - After three days in the hospital, Christopher Smith came home to Friday to find an acquaintance napping on his couch.

After waking him up, Smith asked Chadwick Nichols to leave, Largo police said.

Later, however, Smith discovered that $20,000 to $30,000 in coins, a watch and jewelry was missing from his home at 2178 Poinciana Ter.

And Nichols, a 39-year-old transient, was nowhere to be found, police said.

But police got a break Sunday morning when a report came in that a man was trying to cash a stolen check at an Amscot in the 4100 block of East Bay Drive.

Officers arrived and began talking to Gene L. Conley, 35, of Clearwater, who was trying to cash the check, police said. While three officers looked into that, a fourth watching from a distance noticed Nichols outside the business trying to hide his face and walk away.

The officer stopped Nichols, who gave him a false name, police said. The officer then pulled up a photograph on his computer that identified Nichols as the suspect in the burglary on Poinciana Terrace.

Police said that Conley subsequently told them he had property in his house from burglaries Nichols committed. Nichols confessed to the burglary at Poinciana Terrace as well as another one Friday in the 1700 block of Belcher Road, police said. The motive for the thefts was to get money for crack cocaine, police said, and Nichols probably got into Smith's house through an unsecured garage door.

Nichols and Conley were arrested and taken to the Pinellas County Jail, where both were being held without bail Monday.

Nichols was charged with two counts of residential burglary, two counts of failing to appear for court hearings, possession of drug paraphernalia, theft and obstruction by disguise.

Conley was charged with violating his probation on charges of grand theft auto and possession of cocaine, as well as uttering a forged instrument and obstruction by disguise.

[Last modified August 28, 2006, 22:55:14]