A Leesburg man was arrested for theft after a Walmart employee noticed him taking items out of their packaging and hiding them in his cart.
An officer responded to Walmart, located at 2501 Citrus Blvd., regarding a retail theft around 3:03 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Dispatch advised that a loss prevention associate had 38-year-old Philip Michael Warr in the loss prevention office.
Upon arrival, the officer met with the associate who stated he observed Warr through video surveillance cameras in the sporting goods and automotive department. He was removing multiple items from their packaging, including a $11.96 Concord bicycle light that he placed in his back right pant pocket. He then made eye contact with the video surveillance camera, the report said.
Warr proceeded to make his way toward the self-checkout to pay for perishable items he had in his shopping cart. However, he was observed concealing unpaid items within the cart. He tried to leave the business when the associate stopped and made contact with him, the report said.
It was then discovered that Warr had an unpaid bottle of $2.28 Mountain Dew in his cart, a $14.88 charging device hidden under a grocery bag, and an unpaid $1.97 keychain light hooked to the shopping cart. The merchandise was recovered and totaled $31.09. A detailed receipt was given to the officer for the items and their pricing, the report said.
The associate also gave the officer a DVD containing the surveillance footage of Warr committing retail theft. Additionally, dispatch ran a criminal history check which showed Warr had two prior convictions for retail theft, the report said.
Warr was subsequently arrested and charged with retail theft (felony – two or more prior theft convictions). He was transported to Lake County Jail with bond set at $2,500.