Shock jock Bubba the Love Sponge Clem was missing from the radio this morning, following news that two handguns and an honorary sheriff's badge were taken from his car Wednesday night after a burglary at a St. Petersburg bowling alley. Police recovered the items after witnesses reported a description of the burglars and undercover officers arrested two men.
Clem's 2005 Chevrolet Suburban was among three vehicles reported burglarized at the Sunrise Lanes on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N at 11:07 Wednesday night, according to St. Petersburg Police. The radio personality reported a fanny pack was taken from his vehicle containing credit cards, a bank card, two handguns and an honorary sheriff's badge from Indiana; Clem has a concealed weapons permit.
Clem's boss at WHPT-FM (The Bone 102.5), the Tampa station which airs his top-rated morning radio show, said the host decided to sleep in today after staying up late Wednesday night handling details related to the burglary. His program airs at 6 a.m. weekdays. "If it would have happened to me, I would have done the same thing," said Jay O'Connor, Tampa market manager for WHPT owner Cox Radio. "I'd rather he get a good night's sleep than feel the need to come in and do a bad show."