A Leesburg man with a lengthy criminal history was arrested for trespassing at a Walmart in Leesburg to steal some clothes.
Police responded to Walmart, located at 2501 Citrus Boulevard, regarding a man in the Men’s Department who got rid of his own pants and put on a pair from the store around 8:22 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department.
Loss prevention personnel showed 27-year-old Jaylin Ricks to the officers being as he passed all points of sale without paying for the pants. He was then detained and escorted to the loss prevention office. It was there the officers identified Ricks and learned he was previously trespassed from the store in April 2022 and had one prior retail theft charge on record, the report said.
While speaking with loss prevention about the incident and what clothing was taken, the officers were shown surveillance video of Ricks. He was seen taking off his black pants in the middle of the men’s clothing aisle and putting on a new pair of black pants. He also put a green hoodie on over his black hoodie. The video ended with him walking toward the front of the store and passing all points of sale with the unpaid for items still on, the report said.
Ricks was subsequently arrested on charges of petit retail theft (one prior theft conviction) and trespass after warning. The Connecticut native was transported to the Lake County Jail with bond set at $2,000.
He has been arrested three other times this year. In February, he was found with a hypodermic needle in the parking lot of a medical office. He and six others were arrested in April for squatting in a vacant restaurant, and he was arrested once more in August for trespassing at Circle K.
