Theft Suspect Caught Making Topless Getaway

SEPTEMBER 20--A theft suspect who made her getaway on a bicycle was arrested last night when a sheriff’s deputy spotted her riding topless down the middle of a Florida highway, police report.

According to cops, a woman last night stole $19.99 flip flops and other merchandise from a clothing store on Okaloosa Island. A worker at Surfside Outfitters told investigators that the suspect placed one item into her bag and then walked out of the business wearing the stolen shoes around 7 PM.

The employee, cops reported, said the shoplifter “was last seen riding away, through the parking lot, on a bicycle.”

After the shoplifting episode, several callers to 911 reported that a woman was riding her bicycle erratically down the middle of Highway 98, a two-lane road that runs through the island.

When a sheriff’s deputy pulled alongside the bicycle, the rider was not wearing a shirt. When the cop asked the woman to pull over, she replied, “Make me.”

In short order, the deputy pulled ahead of the rider and eventually took her into custody.

The topless suspect was identified as Courtney Backes, 32. Seen in the above Instagram photo, Backes--who was found in possession of the stolen goods--was charged with retail theft and resisting arrest without violence, both misdemeanors. She was released from the county jail this morning on $1000 bond.

According to her Facebook page, Backes, whose rap sheet includes a 2015 DUI conviction, works as a bartender at a Marriott hotel. (2 pages)