An Umatilla man was arrested more than a month after he allegedly shoplifted from Walmart and told his girlfriend to steal from the retail giant, too.
Michael Jay Brook, 34, was charged with retail grand theft in connection with the May 8 incident at the store, located at 2501 Citrus Blvd. Brook’s been in and out of the Lake County Jail a half-dozen times since 2019 and has two prior retail theft convictions.
According to the Lake County Sheriff’s office probable cause affidavit, Brook and his girlfriend – Destiney Claudia Sue Clontz, 28, of Minneola – took items from the women’s department, men’s department, and clearance aisle and placed them in a shopping cart. Clontz placed several items inside a gray lunch bag and then left the store, passing all points of sale without making any attempts to pay for the merchandise.
Brook remained in the store and continued to select items for about an hour after Clontz left. He then left the store with a cart full of unpaid merchandise. A store security employee yelled for Brook to stop, but he did not. Once he reached the exit, he abandoned the cart and fled on foot. Items in the cart included toiletries, food items, art supplies, home goods clothing. The total value of the recovered merchandise was $1,159.75, the report said.
When Leesburg police officers arrived at the store, they observed Clontz’s vehicle leaving the Aldi parking lot at 2241 Citrus Blvd. During the ensuing traffic stop, Clontz identified herself and said spontaneously that Brook, “put things in the bag and gave the bag to me.” After being read her Miranda warning, she again said Clontz handed her the bag of merchandise inside the store and she left without paying, according to the report.
Clontz admitted to placing more items in her shopping cart but said she believed Brook was going to pay for them. Clontz was placed under arrest at that time, but officers were unable to find Brook. During booking, Clontz was shown a photograph of Brook and she confirmed he was the person with her at the store. The red Nissan Altima that Clontz was driving at the time was registered to Brook, the report said.
A warrant was issued for Brook and he was arrested Sunday in Mount Dora. He was being held on $3,000 bond and will appear in Lake County Court on Aug. 1.
