A Leesburg man with a staggering 13 prior theft convictions is back behind bars after he was caught attempting to smuggle a 12-pack of Budweiser out of a local Walmart.
Scott Alan Thompson, 60, was arrested June 5 on a felony charge of retail theft following the brazen midday beer heist.
The incident unfolded just before noon at the Leesburg Walmart when a loss prevention employee spotted Thompson on surveillance video. According to an arrest affidavit, the employee watched Thompson retrieve a case of Budweiser from a cooler in the liquor department. When he emerged from a nearby aisle, the $14.67 12-pack was already concealed inside a gray plastic Walmart bag.
Security personnel stopped Thompson as he bypassed the cash registers and attempted to exit through the general merchandise doors.
When questioned by a responding Leesburg police officer, Thompson waived his Miranda rights and bluntly admitted to the crime. He told the officer he had brought the plastic bag from home in his pocket because he did not have the money to pay for the beer and never had any intention of doing so.
A routine background check revealed Thompson’s extensive criminal history. He was recently released from the Lake County Jail after serving a 180-day sentence for stealing cash from a Leesburg homeowner—money he had used to buy cigarettes. Furthermore, store security officials indicated they intend to prosecute, noting that internal databases linked Thompson to previous thefts at multiple stores in the Fort Lauderdale area.
Thompson was booked into the Lake County Jail, where his bond was set at $2,500. His Schwinn bicycle, which he had ridden to the store, was taken into safekeeping by the Leesburg Police Department.