A homeless man in Eustis was arrested after allegedly trying to steal a couple’s dog from their yard.
A husband and wife were driving past their residence on Lake Mack Drive in Deland when they saw a stranger reaching for their $500 dog around 12:05 p.m. Monday, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Thes man, later identified as 29-year-old Kevin Dale Moore, had unlatched the gate to their property, grabbed the dog by the collar and dragged it.
Footage from a neighbor showed Moore walking around the fence in the couple’s front yard multiple times. At one point, he walked up to the gate, opened it and leaned down toward the dog. He then grabbed the dog, pulling it toward him until the owners showed up. He subsequently let go and started walking away, the report said.
The wife gave a detailed description of Moore to deputies, who found him in the area of Lake Mack Drive and Bear Lake Boulevard. A search of his person revealed two pill bottles, one of which contained oxycodone. When asked about them, Moore stated he was unsure what they were, as he randomly found them somewhere, the report said.
A further search of his belongings yielded a clear plastic baggie with methamphetamine and a glass pipe with paraphernalia on the inside. The pipe seemed to have been recently used as the glass on the bottom of it was burnt, the report said.
Moore was arrested on charges of attempted petit theft (dog), possession of oxycodone, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of drug equipment and paraphernalia. He was booked at Lake County Jail with bond set at $7,000.
He was also arrested in 2023 after throwing a broken cement block through an RV window.