The Asbury Park Press had a story over the weekend about an alleged theft that, if true, involved a pretty nervy thief.

The article, which ran Saturday, reports that 29-year-old Rodney Beharry of Long Branch was arrested Friday after he stole a diagnostic computer from Contemporary Motor Cars, the Mercedes dealer on Branch Avenue in Long Branch.

But there’s a bit of backstory to the alleged crime, according to the Press:

Sometime between June 6, 2005 and Oct. 22, one of the company’s $20,000 automotive diagnostic computers went missing, police said. It was reported stolen, but police said they could not question Beharry because he went to Trinidad after leaving his position in Little Silver.

But he has since returned, and Friday morning he went back to the shop to visit his former coworkers, said Detective Sgt. Daniel Shaffery. Beharry brought coffee and doughnuts, then seemed to disappear, police said.

When the employees went to the parts area to look for him, he was gone, but he left behind the stolen diagnostic computer, which was broken, police said. The new diagnostic computer was missing, said Shaffery.

Around 10:20 a.m., Shaffery and Patrolmen Mike Lahey and Rob Chenoweth arrested Beharry.

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