A man located in the American state of Florida has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison after he was caught at the end of 2018 stealing a Nintendo Switch from another man's property in his work uniform.
Kyle Sullivan stole a Switch console from the garage of Robert Love and then sped off in his getaway vehicle. Fortunately, Love had two surveillance cameras installed on his property, allowing local Cape Coral Police to identify the thief's workplace and then track him down.
Love described the thief as “completely stupid” and also said he was “blatantly an idiot.” Since the incident, the Switch has been safely returned to Love and his family.
Sullivan, however, was sentenced in court last week as a "habitual felony offender" and found guilty of one count of burglary and grand theft, which added on time to his already lengthy sentence and one-year probation period.
There have been plenty of cases involving people stealing Nintendo products in the past. In September 2018, a man got his own daughter to hop inside his local mall's arcade machine to retrieve all of the Nintendo-themed prizes. One of these prizes was a "Gameboy DS" (reportedly a 3DS) along with a brand new Switch.
As long as Nintendo remains relevant, we're sure we'll continue to hear wild, wacky and downright unlawful stories like these in the future.
[source gamerant.com]
Comments 68
it's always Florida…
....wait, so was it ONLY the Switch?
Like not that I'm supporting it or anything but why would the only thing you steal breaking into a house be a Switch?
Five and a half years? He might as well have stolen a 3DS, because that's probably how much longer Nintendo will keep supporting it.
I'm debating weather to laugh or sigh at this poor censored.
The Nintendo Switch continues to be THE hottest gaming console people want to get their hands on of the last 2 years and going! It's literally growing Raccoon Mario ears and tails and flying off shelves.
And people's garages! Poor Wario didn't get too far it seems in this story.
My Floridian fellows at it again. First it was throwing alligators through drive throughs, now this. Never change Florida
Florida's back at it again folks!
Florida's state motto really should be "Hold my beer, watch this."
@quinnbad That's because Florida has open-records laws, so everything is public.
Serves him right to be locked up before he unintentionally kills someone with his stupidity. I seriously think people like him are a threat to the society and prevents it to function properly...
He doesn’t sound like the sharpest drawer in the knife, if you know what I mean
@quinnbad yes, it is. I live in sunny Florida and I can't stand seeing so many stories like this about Florida. Must be something in the water....
It's so sad that society's general confusion regarding morals are translating into less mentally gifted individuals ruining their lives. Reality is, people who take from others will most likely end up in a bad place no matter what, but this guy probably heard how right and wrong is subjective, bladibla, etc, and that translates to; be opportunistic, consequences are never under your control anyway, if your life is bad it's someone else's fault. This is a catastrophe.
@LuciferOnReddit I agree and obviously he deserves a punishment but he's being sentenced more than some worse criminal acts.
I think depending on the burglary but in this case a Nintendo Switch, a very hefty fine or a year in prison should be suffice.
5 years just feels unfair, unless it's not the first time he's done this.
He should have just bought Thief Simulator =0p
Gee i wonder if anyone got this as their Florida man story
"A man located in the American state of Florida", the proper term for this is "Floridaman" or "Florida man".
@LuciferOnReddit @abduz and to others who think the sentence sounds harsh: as the end of the article suggests, this person isn't being given 5 years solely for stealing a Switch. This sounds like just one in a series of repeat offenses.
I'm not offering a judgement there - just noting that this isn't the only crime impacting that decision.
Theres always something going down in my state now, apperently.
Wait, so I guess I'm a Florida man now? Crud!
Seems like a good trap to get the neighborhood creep thrown in prison.
Folks saying the time is steep for the item should really read the article. If you can't be bothered to read the item, why should folks be bothered to listen to your point of view?
Not only did he already have felony convictions prior, but at the time of his arrest he was charged with Possession, Burglary (of an occupied home), Grand Theft, and had 3 outstanding warrants for arrest. It took me less than two minutes to find this out.
http://www.sheriffleefl.org/how_do_i/learn_more_about/arrest_search/?view=inmateDetail&id=892830
Anyway, I thought it was "Floridian"?
Back when the Switch was new and still often sold out in stores, a friend of mine was playing his on a train. When the train became crowded he put it in his bag to save room. Someone apparently opened his bag and took it.
Though he admits to having been drinking, it's possible it fell out of his bag.
This Thief Simuator review is pretty interesting.
No alligators involved? I am disappointed in you, Florida Man.
Seriously, though... lots of people are idiots and do bad stuff while wearing their work uniform. Worked with a guy who sold drugs while wearing his PetSmart uniform... in the parking lot of the PetSmart we worked at. Cops busted him at work the next day in front of everyone. It was reeeeally awkward being the receptionist on duty after all that happened.
@abduz @LuciferOnReddit The sentence wasn't just for stealing a Switch. Besides having a lot more previous offenses on his list, he also violated his one year probation period, that he was still under, so the punishment was simply a result of adding up all the prior offenses, and the guy's rather stupid violation of the probation period, that he was currently still under.
Why “grand theft” for a 300 dollar switch? What did he have gold joy cons or somethin’!?
@AlohaPizzaJack You forgot about the violation of his probation period...
So, this is newsworthy how?
@LuciferOnReddit "Wtf. 5,5 years for this? Seems way too much for just a Switch and burglary."
It wasn't just for this incident. The article says he's a habitual offender.
Is there any "Find my Switch apps" or "Find My Phone apps". Something like GPS tracking, Ring and Remote Lock Down Console. Anti-Theft and Anti-Steal is Installed on Nintendo Switch. Perhaps Is Useless. But I need find to Keep and Safety.
@Hungerjames Looks like in the state of Florida anything valued 300 dollars or more is considered grand theft.
There’s such a thing as too dumb to live 😑
@RickD the sentence he received was in part due to his being a repeat offender. Florida law punishes those who continue to make the same mistakes. If you don't learn your lesson the first couple times, you will get a harsher sentence.
Did all the folks saying his that five years is too harsh miss the part that this isn’t his first offence?
Personally I wish people like that got harsher sentences. Theft isn’t just taking stuff. It is violating a person’s sense of comfort/safety in their own home/car/place of business. Not only that what might be “stuff” to a thief might be important/vital to the owner. I don’t want to live somewhere that I have to have cameras up 24/7 but sadly those places are shrinking because “it’s just stuff”.
Florida not surprised.
@LaVelle Thanks for clarifying but I didnt understand the last part if the article ...either way at the end of my comment, I did say, '...unless it's not the first time.'
@ThanosReXXX Thanks for clarifying but I didnt understand the last part if the article ...either way at the end of my comment, I did say, '...unless it's not the first time.'
Stupid of him either way; stealing from others really just shows how low a person is.
@abduz You're welcome. And yeah, stupid indeed. Some people will just never learn, and once you go down that road, it's even harder to go back, so he's probably gonna keep doing it, even after his current sentence is done.
I never will fathom why people steal the property of others (other than food in extreme cases, but that's not the focus here). Clearly some don't have the guilt factor that I do. I've been accused of theft before (I legit didn't steal anything), which is nerve-racking enough.
wow Theif Must suffer I think I went to harsh..
@Not_Soos I know you are just messing around but I think the 3ds is officially dead. No more games on the horizon from what I read. So either Nintendo goes hard on the switch or reveals the 3ds' next gen predecessor. Which way do you think this will go?
Wow someone actually steal a Nintendo Switch when it's in good care, meanwhile I left my PS Vita and PS Classic fully visible in my front yard for the last five weeks with no luck of any one actually stealing them.
Who would be dumb enough to let their own daughter get inside an arcade machine to steal all Nintendo themed prizes, when technically there are cameras installed (or should be installed, in this case) in every store?
And the dumbest idea of the week award goes to...
A Switch? You sure it wasn't one of those new Gameboy HD systems?
@Giygas_95 I literally laughed out loud when I read your comment! Awesome!
He may as well just left his business card!
@quinnbad it's ALWAYS florida
@StevenG Yeah, they really blew it. "Florida Man..." is the only acceptable way to begin the headline to a story like this.
Stealing is bad, but 5 and a half years for one Switch? That seems excessive to me..
@MattFox I bet you he only serves 1-2 years and gets out like they all do nowadays.
Dammit, Florida Man.
@whanvee Yeah, the joke would have been a bit better if the news story broke a few months ago before Extra Epic Yarn and Bowser's Inside Story had a chance to release and the future of the 3DS was a bit more ambiguous. I certainly hope Nintendo doesn't have a new dedicated handheld in the pipeline. Wouldn't really make a lot of sense when the Switch is already portable. Then again, when does Nintendo operate on logic? One of the exciting prospects of the Switch is having all of Nintendo' s handheld and console games on one system, and I really don't want to see that change.
@MattFox That's what I thought at first, and I was going to leave a similar comment, but the article suggests he is a repeat offender who was already serving parole. Guess that was just the straw that broke the camel's back.
@Not_Soos The DS line is probably pound for pound greatest line up ever..I'd love to see it around for another 5 years. I actually want to buy a new one in the next couple of weeks.
@LuciferOnReddit It specifically says in the article that he’s a repeat felony offender. This sentence would absolutely never be handed down to a first-time offender. Or even a second or third-time offender, probably.
@abduz Ugh. The article DOES say it’s not his first offense.
@Ryu_Niiyama As always, you’re coming off as one of the rare nintendolife readers in possession of actual common sense.
GTAV on Switch...
@retro_player_22 maybe because nobody wants them.
You can put any type of crime and Florida in a Google search, I bet you'll find it.
no one seems to realize why the whole "florida man" thing is so common. It has to do with our journalism laws. But don't let that get in the way of memeing!
@LaVelle isn't that why he used the slang term "klepto"?
@Ryu_Niiyama @thejuice027 @abduz Yes, when there was a (very very very wealthy) man who got convicted of serial raping his daughter. He got 1 day of therapy a month for 12 months and a tag. I can find the name if you don't believe me.
This particular man is most likely a kleptomaniac, unless there's physical or sexual abuse involved then I think this is too long. Some counselling and tags are more useful when prisons are full up of black drug dealers and other petty criminals that don't have enough money to pay their way out or enough influence to muscle their freedom.
@Jayofmaya Someone else circumventing the system doesn't mean that someone with a history (such as this person) should get a get out of jail free card. Making the system equally corrupt doesn't help anyone but the criminals. As for the rapist you mentioned, my personal thought is that he should be castrated, but since men deem that cruel, I'll compromise and say he should get a life sentence in my opinion. However it is just that, an opinion. I have no influence on the legal system, still wish it was harsher though. Honest people should not have to pay for the dishonesty and cruelty of others to give them a second chance. So you are more than welcome to feel his punishment was too harsh. I'll happily agree to disagree. Have a good day.
@Ryu_Niiyama I would say reformation of a kleptomaniac would take significantly less time than that of a serial incestual rapist, that was my point. I also feel that just locking up criminals together doesn't lead to good results and that Norway or even Sweden's approach of the justice system is much more successful.
@BAN ugh and I also mention, unless its not his first offence cuz it wasn't very clear to me in the article ...ughh ughh ughh
@Jayofmaya Yea I believe you and this is what I was talking about, there are cases which are worse and they get away with less time ..but apparently this guy has done this a number of times and was also on probation.
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