Lollipop Fury: Sweet Stick Turned Weapon Sends Clearwater Florida Man to Jail

Clearwater, Florida witnessed the most epic candy clash of the century. A man armed with a lollipop created a real sticky situation at a local Family Dollar store, unleashing candy chaos that would make an angry Willy Wonka proud.

According to The Smoking Gun, 24-year-old Dalton Reed was in line, waiting at the Family Dollar. He first engaged in a heated squabble with store manager David Johndrow, involving heated words, simmering tempers, and the promise of a checkout showdown.

As Reed and Johndrow's argument boiled over, Reed, in an act of sugary rebellion, transformed into a candy ninja. With lightning-quick precision, he hurled a lollipop toward his enemy. The lollipop missile found its mark, striking Johndrow square in the chest. Reed experienced sweet satisfaction, but thankfully, no major dental work was required for Johndrow. Reports confirm that the lollipop's sugary assault "did not cause bodily harm."

However, the candy chaos didn't end there. The long arm of the law intervened, slapping Reed with a simple battery charge.  Just when you thought this story couldn't get any more twisted than a Twizzler, a post-arrest search revealed a crack pipe in Reed's pocket. Oops. Maybe that lollipop wasn't his only sugar fix for the day.

Clearwater's finest didn't discover any other weapons during their investigation. It appeared Reed's lollipop was the only thing he had up his sleeve. Well, in his hand, to be precise.

Reed now resides in the county's version of a Candy Factory, the county lockup, with bond set at $650 for his sugary shenanigans, including the lollipop launch and the crack pipe.

For those curious about Reed's criminal history, it's as colorful as a bag of Skittles. He boasts convictions for grand theft, DUI, drug possession, loitering, prowling, and retail theft. Quite the resume, don't you think?

A judge has issued an order for Reed to steer clear of the Family Dollar and to refrain from any contact with his lollipop-bonked nemesis, Johndrow. The candy aisle will never be the same again.

15 Of The Best Things To Buy At A Dollar Store In Florida

Dollar Stores may have a reputation with many that the products they sell are cheap or of poor quality.  While that may be true for some of the products, it's not always the case.  There are actually some incredible deals to be found.

Personally, my favorite things to grab are party supplies, kitchen tools and some of my toiletries.  The toothpaste is the same I would find anywhere, at a lesser price.  The gift wrapping is a quarter of the price of that of other locations, granted the wrapping paper isn't the best, but the bags work just fine.  You can grab matching tablecloths, plates, napkins and even some decorations for a fraction of the price.  It all gets thrown out anyway.  And the kitchen tools aren't the best quality, but they're a dollar-ish, so, if they need to be replaced once or twice a year, it's still the less expensive option.

In order to determine the best dollar store buys, the folks over at Kiplinger spoke with shopping experts and scoured the aisles of dollar stores.

These are 15 of the best items to buy at a dollar store in Florida

Greeting cards nowadays can be upwards of $5 at other locations.  At The Dollar Store they usually cost $1 for higher-quality ones and 50 cents for two. There isn't always a huge selection, but you'll be able to find one that will work.

Pregnancy test kits from the dollar store? Yes, you can. As stated by Kiplinger, “paying a buck to see if you might be pregnant seems a risky proposition,” says Kyle James, founder of the shopping deals website RatherBeShopping. “But the tests have been done, and they’re just as good as the $10-$15 variety you’ll find at major drugstores.” At Dollar Tree, the Assured pregnancy test kits, promising “over 99% accuracy,” are $1.

If you don't head to The Dollar Store to get candy before the movies, you're paying way too much.  You can find the same boxes of candy for a fraction of the price.

Cotton is cotton.  Why pay more when you don't have to?

You're always losing them or breaking them any way.  It won't hurt as much if they were a couple bucks.

We lose our hair accessories so fast anyway, why are we paying more than we need to?

You can get all sizes for much less than you'll pay at WalMart or Target.

During the planting and gardening season, you might be spending a lot of time at big box stores. But, little do you know the plant supplies at dollar stores are worth it and just as good.

6 rolls of tape, for only $1. Amazing, right?. A two-roll pack of Scotch transparent tape, totaling 500 inches, is $1 at Dollar Tree — or .002 cents per inch. A two-roll pack of Scotch transparent tape, totaling 1,200 inches, was $6.49 at Staples — or .005 cents per inch, more than twice as costly as the dollar store.

Whether you need wrapping paper, boxes, tissue paper, gift bags or any other party essentials, hit up The Dollar Store before spending hard earned money on items that get thrown away pretty quick.

According to Kiplinger, “Whether you need a small number of paper plates and cups or even themed decorations, the dollar store is an ideal place to shop for these items,” says Ramhold. “You typically only need them for one gathering, and those flimsy tablecloths will usually only last one party anyway, depending on how rowdy your guests are. Why pay more for those items when you can get the same quality for a lower cost? And the savings on party supplies can be put toward the things that everyone is really interested in — food and drinks.”

You can pick up an inexpensive floral vase, or get creative and use a mason jar, a glass mug or even a milk bottle.

You may have seen some cleaning videos on TikTok lately, and the one thing most have in common is their Dollar Store hacks.

Picking up name-brand toiletries at the dollar store is a no-brainer, our shopping experts note, especially the smaller versions made for traveling and other purposes.

With remote learning putting even more of an onus on parents in the last year, seeking out and scoring school supplies at bargain prices has become even more of an imperative. Don’t overlook dollar stores when stocking up.