An Ocklawaha man was arrested after confronting his ex-girlfriend in a Walmart and stealing her purse to get her to leave with him.
An officer responded to a robbery at an undisclosed Leesburg residence around 9:55 p.m. Tuesday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. A woman had her purse stolen by her ex-boyfriend, 40-year-old Antonio Jose Duran Parcia, at Walmart, located at 2501 Citrus Blvd.
Upon arrival, the officer met with ex-girlfriend in front of the residence. She advised that at 7:30 p.m., she had been dropped off at Walmart by a friend after seeing her ex-husband in Lady Lake. While she was inside shopping, Duran Parcia confronted her in the electronics department, the report said.
He had followed her from her ex-husband’s house and wanted to know why she was there. They argued for a bit, and he grabbed her to get her to go with him. She refused, so he grabbed her purse from underneath her arm, the report said.
The ex-girlfriend tried to hold onto the purse, but Duran Parcia was able to snatch it from her grip. He then left the store in what she believed was his attempt to get her to follow him outside. She did not go after him, and he left with her purse, the report said.
The purse contained her Motorola cellphone, multiple ID cards including her passport, a set of keys that included one to her residence, and about $500 in cash. She described it as a black leather clutch bag with a gold clasp. She had to wait to call the police since her phone was gone, the report said.
Before the officer got there, Duran Parcia had called his ex-girlfriend’s landlord to arrange a meeting between the two so he could return the purse. He had already passed by her house in his vehicle 20 minutes before the officer arrived. He did not live there, nor had they ever lived together. They had been dating for seven months before she broke up with him about a week ago, the report said.
Duran Parcia came to the residence while the officer spoke to his ex-girlfriend. He advised that he went to Walmart to ask her for a key to the residence. He stated they had been in a relationship for about a year and lived together, the report said.
She had given him the keys and her phone, which were not found in the purse at the time. He could not explain how he got the purse but admitted to having it in his vehicle. He came by the residence to talk to her and give her back the purse, the report said.
Duran Parcia gave law enforcement permission to search his vehicle and told them where the purse was, which was inside the center console. Everything was then returned to the ex-girlfriend except one of her Guatemalan ID cards she got at the Embassy, the report said.
The native of Venezuela was subsequently arrested on charges of simple battery (domestic) and robbery (sudden snatching with no weapon). He was transported to Lake County Jail with bond set at $6,000.