Man arrested for 100th time after police say he stole socks and underwear in Port St. Lucie

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - A Port St. Lucie man has made a return trip to jail, and it's a milestone.

What he's accused of stealing is personal: underwear and socks.

They're the kinds of items you just have to buy every now and then. The problem is, 50-year-old Joseph Wilson is accused of shoplifting them.

"He must've needed them. For sure," said Lorraine Betts, a shopper and taxpayer.

Police have identified Wilson as the man in the surveillance video from the Beall's Outlet in Port St. Lucie, and they know him well. After a criminal history check, police discovered Joseph Wilson had 37 felony arrests (6 convictions), 47 misdemeanor arrests (26 convictions) and 15 unknown arrests (3 convictions) -- totaling 99.

On Thursday, Wilson reached 100 arrests.

"Out of those arrests, he's been convicted 35 times," said Tom Nichols, the spokesman for the Port St. Lucie Police Department.

"I'm amused that the justice system would let somebody on the 100th arrest get away with this," said Betts. "But angry that all these taxpayers have to continuously pay for something like this."

Wilson nearly got away, according to police. That is, if it weren't for a witness who spotted him running away, then hiding behind a dumpster.

Once police caught up to Wilson, he had quite an excuse.

"He told the officers he had been jogging and was out of breath and was just resting," said Nichols.

In the end, police recovered nearly $200 worth of undergarments.

Wilson has yet to come up with a total of $20,000 bond, so he remains in jail.

Maxim Alter contributed to this report.