A sharp-eyed loss prevention associate at the Walmart in Leesburg was performing her routine duties Sunday, when she noticed an individual who looked familiar to her ordering food from the deli.
The person she identified was 34-year-old Michael Brandon Lancaster of Port St. Lucie who had previously been trespassed from the store. He was accompanied by a female later identified as 27-year -old Samantha Brittany Picard of Melbourne.
The associate watched Lancaster put several steaks down the front of his pants. At that point the loss prevention officer contacted the Leesburg Police Department who dispatched officers to the store. The associate continued to monitor the couple and observed them go into the beer cooler and conceal a four-pack of beer into a backpack carried by Picard. The two then went to the fishing tackle area and selected two fishing poles.
They then went to the self-checkout area and paid for some items they had in their cart. They did not pay for the fishing poles and a Walmart employee took the poles from them before they left the checkout area. As they exited the store the police officers arrived and the associate identified the suspects to the officers.
When the officers approached Lancaster they noticed a strange looking bulge in the front of his pants. When confronted by the officers, Lancaster removed three frozen steaks from his pants. The police then escorted the couple to the loss prevention office. The three steaks and beer were valued at $67.82. As Lancaster had previous retail convictions he was charged with felony retail theft, and Picard, who had no record, was charged with a misdemeanor. Picard’s bond was set at $500 and Lancaster’s at $2,000.
