Jayme Ream had a feeling his roommate was stealing his prescription pills and he had a plan that no one else knew about.  

“After work Monday night, I went to Walmart, bought a camera and no one knew,” said Ream. “No one knew and I live with two other people.”

But Ream wasn’t done.  

He wanted to teach a lesson to the crook that was stealing his medicine.  

“So, Monday night when I got the camera I also bought a bottle of ex-lax and I transferred the pain pills and moved the pain pills out and put the ex-lax in the other bottle,” said Ream. “And put it in there for him to get.”

Ream’s roommate, 56-year-old Peter Emery Jr. took the bait.  

Family members say Emery has had a pill popping problem for years and had recently completed his latest rehab program and was looking for a place to stay. He moved into a relative’s home, who shares the residence with Ream.  

Ream has been taking the pain medication since he was injured on a Sarasota football field in 2011.

He was coaching at the time and several coaches attacked him after a game.  

“They didn’t like my calls and I went to leave and they said I wasn’t leaving, “said Ream. “And the fight was on.”

So, when he noticed the pills vanishing, he knew he needed to do something.  

Once he saw the video, even he was surprised by how quickly Emery worked.  

“I couldn’t  believe how quick he got in. He just basically, from the video, he just walked in,” said Ream. “Had the code and he was in.”

Pinellas Park police arrested Emery.  

He’s now charged with petit theft and violation of probation on prior possession charges.  

Lt. Adam Geissenberger explains Ream didn’t do anything wrong nor illegal. 

“He put a laxative in a bottle, knowing someone was going to steal it again, or truly believing that,” said Geissenberger.  

“In this case somebody did steal it and fortunately, regardless of who it was who took it, it wasn’t a dangerous substance that was going to harm that person.”

Geissenberger adds, because there were pill thefts prior to the one caught on camera, detectives are looking to see if Emery can be linked to any of those.