Florida liquor store robbery with gunman wearing Michael Myers mask was ‘inside job,’ cops say

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Florida police havea liquor store of orchestrating an inside-job robbery with a man in a Michael Myers mask.

Citrus County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call in Inverness, Florida, from a business owner who claimed that a Black man in a mask of the villain from the “Halloween” franchise had broken into her store with a gun and demanded cash.

However, police found inconsistencies with store owner Renee Bedford’s statement when the CCTV footage was released showing that the man allegedly robbing the store was white, and that Bedford could be seen laughing in the footage, per Fox13 reporting.

The sheriff’s office has now accused the 46-year-old store owner and the 47-year-old Richard Lassiter, who was identified thanks to a Citrus County Crime Stoppers tip, of staging the incident.

"This case is a perfect example of why thorough investigative work matters," said Criminal Investigations Division captain Mat Baird.

"The suspect's mask may have hidden his face, but our detectives quickly recognised the inconsistencies in this case and exposed an inside job disguised as a robbery,” said Captain Baird.

Police allege that Lassiter has admitted that Bedford pitched the idea of the fake robbery to him. According to cops, he confessed that Bedford told him about the store’s cash deposit process and its cameras.

Bedford has denied helping to plan this crime.

Authorities also allege that when Bedford was arrested police found “multiple plastic baggies of narcotics in her pocket.”

Richard Lassiter has still been charged with robbery with a firearm and grand theft.

Renee Bedford has been charged with principal to armed robbery, principal to grand theft, possession of fentanyl, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of paraphernalia.

“CCSO commends the swift teamwork displayed throughout this investigation, with special recognition to Detective Adolf for leading the investigation that uncovered the inside job,” wrote the department in a Facebook post. “We would also like to thank our community for the tips we received that led to the identification of the suspect.”