Authorities announced Friday night that more charges will be forthcoming against an Ocala man and woman who were found guilty earlier this year of stealing more $500,000 worth of merchandise from stores in Central Florida.
Gilbert Libron, 47, and Lacher Lindsey, 24, were taken into custody in January after Ocala detectives gathered enough evidence in the case to arrest them. Libron was found guilty of grand theft, petit theft (two more convictions) and driving while his license was suspended.
He currently is in prison. Lindsey was found guilty of petit theft and served two months in the Marion County Jail before being sent to Pasco County for violation of probation charges.
Ocala Police Det. Sean Young started investigating the theft ring in December after meeting with loss prevention representatives from Home Depot, CVS and Publix. At the time, the three retailers had collectively experienced losses totaling more than $100,000. They had noticed a trend to the thefts and discovered that the method and vehicle were the same in each instance.
Young quickly identified the vehicle owner and location and was joined by Det. Mike Bowman in conducting surveillance on the newer model gray GMC sports utility vehicle.
Authorities say that between Nov. 28 and Dec. 5, Libron and Lindsey committed eight thefts from Home Depot, stealing items valued at $9,800. And as of Dec. 7, there were 37 separate cases of thefts statewide that possibly could be attributed to the couple, including $37,000 in merchandise taken from Home Depot and $50,000-$70,000 in items taken from Publix and CVS.
On Dec. 12, Young and Mike Bowman followed Libron and Lindsey from Ocala to Orlando. The detectives watched and recorded thefts at multiple stores on Hwy. 441 in Lady Lake and Leesburg, an Ocala Police report says, adding that surveillance continued for one month with additional thefts in Volusia, Citrus, Seminole, Lake, and Orange counties documented.
At Home Depot, detectives said, the couple would select expensive tools and equipment, go to areas in the store with no camera coverage, remove the items from packaging and conceal them inside Libron’s pants and Lindsey’s purse. They would make multiple trips in and out of the store, placing the stolen equipment in their vehicle. Empty packaging was hidden and not discoverable until inventory was conducted, an Ocala Police report says.
At Publix and CVS, they would steal small, high-value items (eye drops, allergy spray, etc.) and return/exchange them for gift cards, the report says, adding that additional surveillance was conducted at two homes in Orlando where the couple was recorded moving stolen items from their vehicle into the residences.
Search warrants were obtained for both locations and on Jan. 12, tools valued at $120,000 were located in both homes. Detectives said the tools were being sold in a makeshift store in one of the residences and out of a truck at various construction sites in the Orlando area.
Libron and Lindsey were arrested after detectives utilized probable cause stemming from the theft of a bottle of Visine from Publix at On Top of the World.