A Clermont man was arrested after being chased down while drunk driving from Walmart to BJ’s during an alleged theft.
An officer responded to an alleged retail theft in progress at Walmart, located at 1450 Johns Lake Rd., around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to an arrest report from the Clermont Police Department. While enroute to the call, he was given a description of 56-year-old Robert Patrick Hammond getting into a blue passenger car to leave the parking lot.
As the officer passed in front of the store, he noticed said vehicle driving recklessly through the parking lot. He got behind the vehicle as it approached the exit leading to U.S. Hwy. 27. It did not come to a complete stop at the stop sign and drove out onto the highway, cutting in front of oncoming traffic, the report said.
Once the road was clear, the officer followed behind with his emergency lights on. The vehicle then turned into the parking area of BJ’s Wholesale Club, located at 2577 S U.S. Hwy. 27. It hit a curb and swerved left and right, as if Hammond was confused and unsure of where to go. He eventually came to a complete stop, the report said.
The officer, assisted by backup, got out of his patrol vehicle and started shouting commands at Hammond. He shifted the car into reverse, narrowly missing a patrol vehicle’s front bumper. Once the vehicle was in park, he stepped out and was detained, the report said.
The officer immediately smelled alcohol on Hammond’s breath that got stronger as he spoke. He rambled about the incident at Walmart, repeating that he never left the store and was going to pay for everything. He also stated he “never left the point of not being able to pay,” the report said.
When asked what made store employees think he was stealing, he just started to ramble about unrelated things. He also said store associates alert law enforcement every time someone puts an item into their carts, and they use AI to do it, the report said.
Hammond was subsequently asked to participate in field sobriety exercises, during which he lost his balance and had to stop early for safety concerns. His performance and the discovery of Mike’s Hard Lemonade in the front passenger seat led the officer to conclude he was under the influence. He later provided breath samples of .097, the report said.
Hammond was arrested on charges of grand theft and DUI (third violation in more than 10 years). He was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $7,500 bond.