A homeless man in Leesburg was arrested after being caught stealing from Walmart with a smoking pipe on his person.
An officer responded to Walmart, located at 2501 Citrus Blvd., regarding a theft around 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 15, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Dispatch advised that 32-year-old Billy Ray Hogans was concealing merchandise while riding an electric cart.
He was also resisting loss prevention by leaving the store and heading across the street to the Leesburg Square. By the time an officer got there, Hogans was walking in front of Hibbett Sports, located at 2259 Citrus Blvd. He was subsequently detained and brought back to Walmart for the investigation, the report said.
Surveillance footage showed he was casually browsing items on an electric cart in the home department section when he hid a pair of shoes on his person. He proceeded to the electronics department, took another piece of merchandise and did the same thing. A few minutes later, he repeated this process, which made loss prevention suspicious, the report said.
A loss prevention employee watched Hogans as he walked toward the self-checkout lanes near the grocery department exit. He then passed through all points of sale with $53.37 in stolen items. When confronted about this, he fled across the street, the report said.
Hogans was later arrested and searched, including his backpack. It contained a clear glass smoking device with methamphetamine in the tube wrapped in a gray sock, the report said.
The Arizona native was arrested on charges of retail theft (two or more prior theft), possession of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia (possess or use), trespass after warning and retail theft (resist merchant). He was booked at Lake County Jail with bond set at $10,500.
He has also been arrested with methamphetamine outside of a Sonic in Oct. 2025, for trespassing at McDonald’s in June 2025, again for trespassing at McDonald’s in March 2025, and for trespassing at Wawa in Feb. 2025.