A homeless man from Macclenny was arrested after allegedly forcing open the doors to Walgreens to steal coffee.
An officer responded to a burglary at Walgreens, 201 S 14th St., around 7:20 a.m. Wednesday, May 13, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Dispatch described the suspect as a 32-year-old Capri Zaquan Ortiz, walking northbound on the street.
Upon arrival, the officer met the store manager. He advised that the store opened at 7 a.m., but Ortiz forced open the sliding glass doors at 6:59 a.m. He then walked to the drink section, took out a $4.19 Starbucks Frappuccino and put it in his pants. He waved at staff members before walking out of the same door he forced open, the report said.
The manager asked Ortiz why he was in the store, and he, along with other employees, told him they were closed. The automatic doors were unlocked for staff to enter, but were powered off, so they manually opened to get inside. A reasonable person would have concluded the store was closed, the report said.
Meanwhile, other officers found Ortiz walking on the sidewalk in front of the Lee Motel, located at 201 S 14th St, the report said. They detained him and brought the manager by to confirm he was the suspect. As he drove past the motel, the manager stated, “That’s him 100 percent, he’s got the bald spots on the side of his head.”
Ortiz later stated he was at Walgreens because he wanted a coffee and a cigarette before getting on the bus. He had the money to pay but was in a rush, so he did not do so, the report said.
A subsequent check of his criminal history revealed prior convictions for theft, the report said.
Ortiz was arrested on charges of burglary of occupied structure (armed) and petit theft. He was booked at the Lake County Jail with bond set at $10,500.