A Leesburg man was arrested for battery after aggressively grabbing a Walmart employee for possibly flirting with his daughter.
An officer was waved down by a woman who stated two men were arguing near the west entrance of Walmart, located at 17030 U.S. Hwy. 441, at 8:15 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28 according to an arrest report from the Mount Dora Police Department.
The officer responded to the area and was able to separate the parties involved. Robert Thomas Sheets, 48, and his juvenile daughter advised that she was approached by a Walmart employee. While the officer spoke with them, said employee started walking away from the scene. The officer told him to stop, but he seemed to be confused. He began making more concerning movements, at which time he was put in the back of a patrol vehicle, the report said.
The officer then continued to speak with Sheets who was not completely sure of what happened between the employee and his daughter. He told her to elaborate, and she explained that while Sheets used the restroom, she waited nearby. The employee walked by her to go into the men’s restroom, and he cursed while looking in her direction. She believed he was trying to flirt with her, the report said.
The employee came back out of the restroom and stood about 5ft away from Sheets’ daughter. He said something to her, but she could not understand him. She told him she was 16 years old, and he needed to back away from her, the report said.
The employee did as she said, walking to a nearby employee bathroom and standing in the doorway. In fear that he would approach her again, she went into the men’s bathroom to notify Sheets. They left the restroom but did not find the employee. They notified customer service of the incident, but the employees were not helpful and advised that video footage would not be available, the report said.
While leaving the store, Steers’ daughter told him that she saw the employee. He asked her to make sure it was the same guy from the restroom area, and she confirmed it was. Sheets then confronted the employee by asking if he assaulted his daughter, the report said.
The employee began to speak, but Sheets could not understand him. Sheets advised that the employee began to continuously stare at his daughter. He told the employee to stop, but he continued. Sheets then admitted to grabbing the employee’s identification off his shirt in an aggressive manner, the report said.
The officer then spoke with the employee who only spoke Haitian Creole. Walmart managers and employees responded to the scene, at which time another Haitian employee agreed to translate, the report said.
The translator advised that the employee walked past Sheets’ daughter near the restrooms and said, “Hi, how are you doing?” He believed she responded and continued into the restroom. He stated he did not say anything inappropriate to her and went to collect shopping carts, which was part of his job title, the report said.
The employee also stated Sheets struck him in the chest using a closed fist while also taking his work identification. He wanted to prosecute and was subsequently released from the patrol vehicle, the report said.
Other officers were able to review Walmart’s video footage which showed the employee walking into the restroom while briefly saying something to Sheets’ daughter. He came back out and spoke with her again briefly from a reasonable distance, the report said.
The footage at the front of the store showed Sheets and the employee were separated by shopping carts, at which time Sheets grabbed him and pulled him toward the carts while taking his work identification. The employee tried to retrieve his work identification at which time Sheets raised his fist as if he were going to hit him a second time. The employee dropped to his knees and used his arms to shield himself as if he were afraid, the report said.
Additionally, dispatch checked Sheets’ criminal history and found a simple battery conviction from Jan. 2022. He had been arrested multiple times for battery related charges, the report said.
Before being arrested, Sheets asked to speak to the officer in private. He expressed he was sorry for striking the employee and wanted to apologize to him. He also wanted to know if the employee was okay, the report said.
Sheets was charged with battery (second offense) and transported to Lake County Jail. He was released after posting $5,000 bond.
The Maryland native was also arrested in Nov. 2021 for violating a no contact order by falling asleep in his garage.