A Clermont man will appear in court next week after stealing $644 in survival gear from Dick’s Sporting Goods.
An officer responded to Dick’s Sporting Goods, located at 4850 Collina Ter., for a theft involving 34-year-old Conrad Christopher King on the morning of Monday, June 22, according to a case report from the Clermont Police Department. He had already left the parking lot in a white Dodge van before law enforcement arrived.
The store manager provided footage that showed King leaving the store with stolen products. A witness advised that King asked him for a hat. King then stated he was wanted by the FBI, and he would be leaving with a cart full of merchandise, the report said.
The witness asked if he would be stealing everything, which King confirmed. When told the police would be called, he apologized and walked out with $644.37 worth of goods. These included a 9×9 popup tent, On cloudrock boots, an Igloo cooler, three articles of Under Armour clothing, and Icon sweatpants, the report said.
Later in the day, dispatch received a call from the Winter Garden Police Department, advising that a white Dodge van had crashed at Chapin Station and 501 Crown Point Cross Road. One of their officers stated that a person called about a shirtless man starting a fire in the woods. Officers on scene discovered the van had gotten stuck on a trail and was left running by itself, the report said.
Inside the van were new items that had just been taken from Dick’s Sporting Goods. Law enforcement recovered a tent, a cooler, boots and shirts. Using a drone, the officers found King and took him to a hospital in Winter Garden, the report said.
Due to King’s behavior, he was evaluated for a Baker Act but not placed under one. King ultimately stated he went to the store to get items that would help him survive. He left without paying, returned the cart and left, the report said.
King was subsequently issued a notice to appear for petit theft. He is due in court on July 8.