A Fruitland Park man was arrested for theft when officers stopped him in a stolen U-Haul truck.
Officers were told to be on the lookout for a stolen U-Haul box truck in the vicinity of East Main and North 15th Streets around 7 a.m. Friday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. At the time, patrol units were unable to find the vehicle and its driver, later identified as 43-year-old Marcus Benjamin Wright.
An officer was later approaching the intersection of Michigan Avenue and U.S. Hwy. 441 when he saw a U-Haul box truck traveling southbound on the highway. Despite trying to intercept, he was unable to stop the vehicle and relayed the information to another officer instead, the report said.
The other officer spotted the vehicle near the intersection with Professional Drive and moved alongside it. He then told dispatch to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office for help. As the vehicle crossed the Dead River Bridge in Tavares, an officer deployed stop sticks in front of it, successfully bringing it to a stop, the report said.
Several officers proceeded to draw their firearms and issue commands. Wright stepped out of the vehicle and was detained in the back of a deputy’s vehicle. Once all occupants got out, deputies and officers approached to clear the vehicle, the report said.
After being read her rights, the female passenger stated she was picked up by her brother and boyfriend on the way to a work site. She claimed she was unaware the vehicle had been reported stolen, the report said.
Wright advised that he got the vehicle from someone named “Heather” and had possession of it for about a month. He indicated that “Heather” had not contacted him to return the vehicle, and they frequently texted. He was subsequently arrested and taken to the LPD for booking, the report said.
While there, he stated, “I shouldn’t be charged with theft. If anything, I should be charged with failure to return the vehicle.” His license had also been suspended for 15 violations dating from Feb. 2011 to May 2023. These included criminal failures to pay, failures to appear and failures to pay child support, the report said.
Wright was charged with theft (fail to return hired/leased property) and driving while license suspended with knowledge. He was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $3,000 bond.
He was also arrested in March 2023 for failure to pay child support outside Family Discount Mart.