A homeless man in Leesburg was arrested for theft after stuffing fishing equipment in a “Corona” bag and leaving Walmart without paying for it.
Officers responded to Walmart, located at 2501 Citrus Boulevard, regarding a retail theft around 2:59 p.m. Sunday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Dispatch advised that the complainant described the subject as on a bicycle carrying a white and brown bag.
While on the way, one of the officers noticed 49-year-old Mark Alan Whorley, who matched the given description, heading southbound on U.S. Highway 27 near Lake Auto, located at 1805 Citrus Boulevard. The officers conducted an investigative stop and identified Whorley based on his name and date of birth. In an interview with him, he refused to let officers search his bag, the report said.
Another officer met with a loss prevention officer at the store to obtain a more detailed description of the theft suspect. The officer sent a message with the photo to the traffic stop officers that confirmed Whorley to be the suspect. He was handcuffed and placed under arrest as a result, the report said.
Following the arrest, Whorley’s bag with the word “Corona” printed on the front was searched. Inside was a $69.97 Tsunami fishing reel, a $5.48 Gambler Big EZ Tennessee shad, a $5.56 Gambler Big EZ Texas Five-o, a $3.94 Lazer Sharp 3/O fishing hook, two $8.16 Trilene XL Smooth fishing lines, and three $2.42 Lazer Sharp 3/O fishing hooks. All $108.53 worth of items were observed to be new and in unopened packaging, the report said.
One of the officers at the traffic stop responded to Walmart while Whorley was taken to the LPD for booking. While inside the Loss Prevention Office, officers watched video surveillance of Whorley on the store’s security system, the report said.
Whorley was seen wearing a black medical mask and a blue hat with a white logo. He was indeed in the fishing department taking fishing items and placing them into his shopping cart. He later placed the unpaid equipment into his “Corona” bag before walking out of the store, getting onto a multicolor bicycle and heading southbound on MLK Drive, the report said.
Additionally, dispatch completed a criminal history check on Whorley. This resulted in two prior convictions of retail theft on July 31, 2021, and Sept. 18, 2023, the report said.
Whorley was subsequently charged with petit theft (two or more prior convictions) and transported to Lake County Jail. Bond for the Michigan native was set at $2,500.
