No Reward For Meter Reader Who Found Skull

Monday, December 15, 2008 –

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- It was a meter reader who found the remains that could be Caylee Anthony. He's having a tough time and does not want to talk with the media and he is so disturbed by what he found his bosses have given him some time off of work.

When the Orange County meter reader discovered a skull in the woods not too far from Caylee Anthony's home his supervisor called 911.

VIDEO REPORT: No Crimeline Reward For Meter Reader

911 CALL: Discovery Of Human Skull

That phone call makes the meter reader ineligible for a $5,000 Crimeline reward. To collect the reward, you have to call Crimeline first before you call 911.

"You have to initiate a tip with Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS," explained Detective Barb Bergin, Crimeline. "We don't have enough money to pay rewards to everyone who calls 911."
Bergin encourages people to call 911 if there is an emergency, but Crimeline calls are answered 24 hours a day.

"As calls come in, if it's something that needs an emergency or needs law enforcement, we have people in place for that to happen immediately," Bergin said.

Bounty hunter Leonard Padilla offered a $50,000 reward for Caylee's body, but pulled the money when people complained searchers were tearing up their yards looking for remains.
"I don't want to get sued," Padilla said.

Still, Padilla plans thinks the meter reader deserves some kind of reward and he plans to write him a check if the remains belong to Caylee.

"It's going to be a figure between five and ten grand involved easily," he said. "Nobody looks at bags out here in these palmettos, they just walk by it. This guy had the foresight to go over and do it."

Crimeline detectives told Eyewitness News they never make exceptions. You have to call the tip line first if you want to be eligible for a reward. While they have received complaints from people who called 911 first and then tried to collect the money, they always stick to their policy.

Crimeline has achieved a lot fighting crime in Central Florida. During the last year, Crimeline tips have generated 1,100 arrests and solved 1,200 cases.

Crimeline gave out $340,000 in rewards. That money comes from a trust fund in the Attorney General's Office.

Can you believe this crap?