A Belleview man with an active warrant for theft was arrested on drug charges at Bealls in Leesburg shortly after a worker at the nearby Rural King incorrectly reported he stole items from that store.
Michael Shobe Smith, 57, was charged with possession of methamphetamine after his arrest Wednesday morning by Leesburg police.
The employee at Rural King, located at 1715 Citrus Blvd., flagged down an officer at around 9:38 a.m. to report a potential retail theft in progress. The employee said a man, later identified as Smith, was stealing merchandise, according to the arrest report.
As the officer canvassed the area, he saw Smith leave the parking lot in a pickup truck with two other people. A short time later, Rural King employees reported that Smith did not leave the store with unpaid merchandise as first thought, the report said.
While preparing to leave Rural King, the officer spotted the same truck entering the parking lot of North Lake Plaza, at 1708 Citrus Blvd. The officer approached the truck to get a better look at the license plate and saw Smith trying to enter Boost Mobile, at 1712 Citrus Blvd., before going into Bealls, located at 1706 Citrus Blvd., according to the report.
The officer entered Bealls to warn employees of the earlier alleged theft. He was told that Smith had a laceration on his arm and the store manager was getting a bandage for him in the rear of the store, the report said.
While the officer walked towards the back of the store, Smith was walking to the front. They started talking while the officer waited to see if the store manager wanted Smith trespassed from the business. Smith identified himself to the officer, who was notified that he had an active Marion County warrant for felony petit theft, according to the report.
While being detained, Smith told the officer he had methamphetamine in the front left pocket of his jeans. The officer removed a black cardholder that had a clear plastic bag containing a white crystalized substance consistent with methamphetamine in the coin slot. Smith was also carrying the Florida ID of a person not involved with this incident, the report said.
Another officer arrived to question Smith, who claimed the unidentified subjects in the pickup truck gave him the wallet while giving him a ride. He said he initially did not have knowledge of the ID card but learned of it later. However, he was aware of the methamphetamine the entire time it was in his possession, according to the report.
Smith was arrested and taken to the Lake County Jail, where he’s being held on $2,000 bond.
