A homeless man in Leesburg was arrested for theft after walking out of Walmart with a stolen pair of slides.
An officer responded to Walmart, located at 2501 Citrus Blvd., regarding a retail theft around 7:25 p.m. Monday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Dispatched advised that the suspect, 22-year-old Andre Johnson, was last seen in a white SUV headed west on Martin Luther Kind Boulevard.
Upon arrival, the officer spoke to an asset protection associate who saw Johnson in the shoe department picking up a pair of $9.98 black slides. He put the slides on before walking toward the front of the store with a woman. He paid for other things but not the slides, the report said.
Johnson proceeded to leave the store where he was confronted by loss prevention. He did not identify himself and continued to walk through the parking lot to get into a white 2012 Kia Sorento. The vehicle left heading west on MLK Boulevard, the report said.
Shortly after, other officers stopped the vehicle at 712 W Oak Terrace and confirmed he was the suspect from Walmart. He stated he did not have money to pay for the items and acknowledged he left the store with the intent of not buying the slides. The shoes were ultimately brought back to the store and thrown away, the report said.
A criminal history check revealed Johnson had two prior theft convictions from Jan. 14, 2016, and Aug. 10, 2020, the report said.
Johnson was arrested on charge of retail theft (two or more prior theft) and transported to Lake County Jail to be held without bond.
He was also arrested in August when a search for a stolen vehicle ended with him cornered in Berry Park.