BOSTON – The father of Bella Bond, the child whose body was found this summer on Deer Island, has been arrested and charged with shoplifting.
Police say Joe Amoroso was taken into custody Tuesday at the Home Depot store located at 5 Allstate Road in South Boston and charged with larceny over $250.
FOX25 obtained the police report which said Amoroso put about $650 worth of items in a shopping cart and attempted to push it out of the store without paying. A saw, gloves and safety glasses were just some of the items in the he tried to take.
According to the police report, Amoroso asked the officers who arrested him if they knew who he was.
He went on to say, "I'm Baby Doe's dad. Now you can tell everyone you arrested baby Bella's father," the police report said.
Police say he also had needles on him that were confiscated.
>>RELATED: Full coverage of Bella Bond body discovery
The 32-year-old had been living in Florida where he had a criminal record, but returned home after his daughter was identified as Baby Doe.
He said he never met his daughter before her death.
FOX25 attempted to contact Amoroso Tuesday night, but phone calls were not returned.