A Clermont man was arrested for theft after twice coming into Lowe’s and stealing tools.
An asset protection employee of Lowe’s, located at 16905 Cagan Crossings Blvd., Clermont, saw 38-year-old Raymond Charles Kelly remove tags from items in his shopping cart around 4:10 p.m., March 23, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Surveillance footage showed him walking around the store while removing tags from a pickaxe and a sledgehammer. He left his cart with these items to use the self-checkout and buy a snack, after which he left the store with the cart. He passed all points of sale without paying for the $122.60 items, the report said.
So, when Kelly returned to the store on the morning of April 10, a deputy responded and spoke with asset protection. He reviewed more surveillance footage that captured Kelly holding a toolbox in his right hand and a stud finder in his back left pocket as he left the store. Kelly later claimed he had stolen the $83.15 merchandise to provide for his child, who was sick and in need, the report said.
When questioned, he mentioned stealing from the store before. He did not remember the exact number of times, the report said,
Kelly was arrested on two counts of retail theft and booked at Lake County Jail. He was released after posting $1,000 bond.
He was also arrested in February for shattering his fiancée’s windshield.