A Leesburg man accused of stealing from Lowe’s got kicked in the groin after he reportedly threatened a witness in the store’s parking lot.
Houston Davis Spencer, 28, of 2311 Griffin Road #C8, was charged with petit theft, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of drug paraphernalia after being arrested by Leesburg Police while trying to flee the scene in his truck.
Shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday, officers responding to a theft report at the home improvement store, located at 9540 U.S. Hwy. 441, when they were informed by dispatch that the suspect had entered a gray Ford truck and was headed towards the highway. One officer performed a traffic stop in front of Jenkins Hyundai while another went to the store to speak to a store employee and a witness about the incident, according to the police report.
The witness told the deputy he saw Spencer walk past him carrying DeWalt tools. The witness and store employee told Spencer several times to stop, but he refused. The witness said he started taking pictures of Spence, the report said.
The witness said once Spencer reached the parking lot, he turned to the witness and said, “You better stop. I’ll cut you.” The witness continued following Spencer, who turned around again and asked, “You wanna get cut?” The witness then kicked Spencer in the groin, causing him to fall to the ground. When Spencer fell to the ground, a DeWalt angle grinder fell out of his pants leg, according to the report.
The witness said Spencer picked up the tool from the ground and ran towards Cracker Barrel, where he entered a gray Ford Explorer and headed north on Hwy. 441, where he was stopped. The officer who stopped him said Spencer admitted to the theft and said he was sorry. Spencer told the officer what items he took from the store, which included a DeWalt 18-gauge shear attachment valued at $60, a DeWalt XR angle grinder valued at $200, and a DeWalt battery charger valued at $90. The total value of the items recovered was $350, the report said.
A K9 search of the vehicle yielded a positive alert for narcotics. The officer searched the truck and found a Marlboro cigarette pack containing a while crystal substance that tested positive for 2.0 grams of methamphetamine. The cigarette pack also contained a glass pipe with meth residue on it, according to the report.
Spencer was booked at the Leesburg Police Department and taken to the Lake County Jail, where he’s being held on $4,000 bond. He’ll answer to the charges in Lake County Court at 8:30 a.m. May 23.
