A Leesburg man was arrested on a warrant last week for a 2021 car theft in which he took off in his companion’s running car.
On May 30, 2021, an officer at the Leesburg Police Department, located at 115 E. Magnolia St., met with a female victim regarding a vehicle theft, according to an affidavit of probable cause out of Lake County.
According to the victim, she was driving her blue 2011 Nissan Rogue utility vehicle with 34-year-old Joshua Dominique Avant in the passenger seat. She went into a building, located at 10402 U.S. Hwy. 441, and left him outside with the vehicle running. He mentioned wanting to go to the store while she was inside, but she told him she did not want him driving her vehicle, the affidavit said.
When coming out of the building, the victim noticed her vehicle was no longer in the parking lot. She tried to contact Avant multiple times with no response. She then reached out to Leesburg police to report the auto theft and was advised to continue trying to contact him prior to reporting the vehicle stolen, the affidavit said.
At about 9 p.m. that day, the victim got a call from Avant stating he took her car to run some errands but had been arrested. He told her she could pick up her vehicle in Sumter County near the area of arrest in the tree line near a fence. She went to said location but was unable to find her vehicle, the affidavit said.
The victim contacted the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office who told her to contact the LPD and report the vehicle stolen. She had been unable to find the vehicle and believed it to be in possession of a man named “Tyler” that Avant was known to spend time with, the affidavit said.
The officer contacted the Sumter County Detention Center to ascertain whether the vehicle keys were admitted into Avant’s property, which they were not. The arresting deputy advised that they did not find a vehicle at or near the arrest location matching that vehicle description, the affidavit said.
Additionally, Avant had one conviction for grand theft statutory property, which was reduced from vehicle theft. He also had one grand theft conviction and open charges for vehicle theft in Sumter County, the affidavit said.
Avant was ultimately arrested Sunday, Nov. 24, at the Taylor Correctional Institution to face a warrant for vehicle theft. He was transported to Lake County Jail with bond set at $2,000.