Man charged with stealing watch in court

LARGO - Authorities say a man walking through a security checkpoint at a Pinellas courthouse tried to steal an expensive watch, just feet from deputies.

The sheriff's office reports that a man who had emptied his pockets to walk through a metal detector Monday complained that his $1,000 Wittnauer watch was gone. Deputies played back a surveillance video and identified 53-year-old Willie Earl Jeter as the person who took the watch. He was located in a courtroom, attending a pretrial hearing for a charge of selling cocaine. Deputies searched him and reported finding the watch.

Jeter was arrested and charged with grand theft. He was later released on $5,000 bail.