Safety Harbor man discovers stranger asleep in his pickup

SAFETY HARBOR — Joseph Bingham walked out to his pickup truck Saturday morning, opened the door and found something unexpected in the passenger seat: a 26-year-old Tampa man he had never seen before, fast asleep, according to an arrest report.

Bingham called the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. A deputy showed up to his house about 8:10 a.m. The man in the truck was still asleep, according to the report. But not for long.

"They dragged me out of the car, threw me on the ground, and treated me like a criminal," said Arturo Hernandez Jr., the surprise occupant. Hernandez said he didn't know how he ended up in the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado.

Hernandez, who was arrested and faces a trespass charge, declined to say anything else.

Bingham couldn't be reached for comment Sunday.