A Leesburg man was arrested for theft after allegedly filling a stolen backpack with $168 in unpaid merchandise at Walmart.
Officers responded to Walmart, located at 2501 Citrus Blvd., regarding retail theft around 6:30 a.m. Sunday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. A loss prevention employee advised that 55-year-old Michael Stephen Cook was leaving the store through the garden department.
Law enforcement found Cook walking east on MLK Boulevard at a fast pace. They detained him with a backpack concealed under his jacket and shirt, and an initial search revealed several unpaid items, the report said.
Surveillance footage showed he walked to the sporting goods department, picked up a backpack and put it in his shopping cart. He then moved through several aisles, selecting more items, and later spent about five minutes in the restroom with the unpaid items. He proceeded to leave the store without paying for any of the $168.62 in merchandise to include chargers, spray paint, a bicycle pump, a bicycle lock, a 20k power bank, a Votex bag and a Gerber machete, the report said…