Keys man falls into car trunk, gets locked inside — then pays the price after rescue

A Keys deputy rescued a man who fell into his car trunk and got locked inside.

When the Monroe Sheriff’s Office got word at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday of a suspicious car parked at Sombrero Beach in Marathon, Deputy Seth Hopp was sent to check it out. He found a 1997 Lincoln Continental with its doors open and trunk closed.

“As he approached the vehicle, he heard knocking from the trunk” Keys sheriff’s spokeswoman Becky Herrin said Thursday.

Hopp then ordered the person inside to come out.

“The man in the trunk replied that he could not get out because he was locked inside,” Herrin said.

The deputy then opened the trunk and let the man out.

The 32-year-old Marathon man, who was not identified, said he was on a walk when he noticed his keys missing. He was looking for them when he fell into the trunk and the lid closed, locking him inside, Herrin said.

In addition to the man, Hopp also found marijuana and a metal pipe in the car. The man freed from the trunk was given a notice to appear in court.

This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 12:11 PM with the headline "Keys man falls into car trunk, gets locked inside — then pays the price after rescue."