A Florida man is facing a felony charge for stealing laxatives from a safety box inside his own home, after admitting to law enforcement he thought they were powerful opioids.

Peter Hans Emery's punishment for swiping Equate Gentle Laxatives from a safety box that belonged to a 49-year-old woman at his property comes because he was already on two-year probation for illegal possession of Dilaudid.

After the victim filed the complaint against the 56-year-old man, it emerged he only took them on Thursday morning because they were in a container labeled Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen.

The drug is usually used to treat moderate to severe pain. Common brands include Vicodin, Norco and Lortab.

By contrast, Equate relieves constipation. 

It's not clear why the bowel-opening pills were placed in that particular box by the person who had access to the Pinellas Park home but there was no getting out of it for Emery.

He was caught taking what wasn't his on a video camera recording the female provided to police.

In the clip he could be seen 'entering the victim's lock box, selecting a pill bottle, pouring pills into his hand, and then leaving', according to a document obtained by .

It's not explained how he found out there were for constipation relief but authorities said Emery claimed 'he threw them away when he learned they were something else'.

The man was subsequently booked into jail.

It was only last year when he was placed under community supervision for stealing an illegally possession another strong prescription medication.

He has previously served a combined total of two years and four months in prison stemming from charges that include cocaine possession, grand theft, auto theft, burglary, adderall forgery, resisting arrest and failure to appear in court.