Suspected thief caught at bus stop with stolen Walmart merchandise in backpack

A homeless man in Leesburg was arrested for retail theft when a Walmart employee caught him hiding over $155 worth of items in a backpack.

Officers responded to Walmart, located at 2501 Citrus Boulevard, regarding a theft around 11:43 a.m. Wednesday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Dispatch advised that the caller, an employee of the business, stated a man later found to match the description of 36-year-old Jared Obrien Morris was concealing items inside a black backpack within the store. He walked out without paying and was observed sitting at a bus stop adjacent to Walmart. 

Upon arrival, the officers found Morris sitting at the bus stop wearing the same clothing described by the employee. His name and date of birth were given to dispatch who advised that he had an active warrant out of Orange County for his arrest. He was subsequently placed into custody in reference to the warrant, the report said. 

As the employee at Walmart described, Morris had a black backpack on his person. His property was searched incident to arrest, and items possibly stolen from the store were found inside the backpack, the report said. 

Morris was read his rights, and he wanted to speak with law enforcement. He stated the items were stolen from another store but refused to tell the officers where they were from. They told him they would find out where the items were stolen, at which point he advised that all items inside the backpack were from Walmart, the report said. 

An officer contacted the caller, who was the Walmart loss prevention officer. He stated that while watching store surveillance, he noticed Morris in the apparel section quickly selecting items and concealing them in a black backpack. He walked from there through the grocery side door, exiting the building and passing all points of sale without paying for any of the concealed items. That was when the loss prevention officer called law enforcement, the report said. 

Items stolen included underpants, boxer briefs, girl’s socks, and baby wipes.  The total value of all the stolen items was $157.65, the report said. 

The officer reviewed the surveillance footage which solidified the loss prevention officer’s statement. A copy was placed into evidence, and the loss prevention officer completed a sworn written statement expressing the store’s intent to prosecute, the report said. 

A check of Morris’ criminal history showed he had three prior theft convictions. These included a guilty plea for grand theft on June 29, 2006, petit theft on Jan. 5, 2020, and petit theft merchant farm transit (two prior theft convictions) on April 4, 2021, the report said. 

Morris was then arrested and charged with retail theft (felony, two or more prior theft convictions). He was transported to Lake County Jail with bond set at $2,500.