A 63-year-old Citra man was arrested after he was caught on video walking out of a Circle K store with a beer he didn’t pay for.
A Marion County sheriff’s deputy responded recently to the store at 13002 N.E. Jacksonville Road, where the on-duty cashier said at around 6:50 a.m. she saw James R. Deavers select a beer from the sale cooler and conceal it. She said Deavers then approached the counter to purchase a red Mountain Dew soda and two packs of cigarettes, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The cashier said she confronted Deavers about the beer he had concealed and they got into an argument. She said she watched the store video, which showed Deavers select the beer, conceal it in his jacket, and then select the red Mountain Dew. At no time did the video show him removing the beer from his jacket. The victim said the beer was a “Clubtails” Bahama Mama valued at $2.74, the report said.
After being read his Miranda warning, Deavers told the deputy he bought the Mountain Dew and two packs of cigarettes, and that at no time did he select or purchase beer. When confronted about the cashier’s statement and the video footage, Deavers said he did select a beer but put it back when he got the Mountain Dew, according to the report.
Deavers said if he had the beer, it would be in his grocery bag in the truck. He retrieved the bag and the deputy observed a red Mountain Dew and two packs of cigarettes. Deavers was adamant that he put the beer back when he selected the Mountain Dew. The deputy and Deavers walked around the store trying to find the beer but they couldn’t locate it, the report said.
The deputy asked Deavers if he’d be willing to have his vehicle searched for the beer, but he said no. Meanwhile, nother deputy reviewed the video footage that showed Deavers taking the beer, concealing it and arguing with the cashier about it, and passing all points of sale without trying to pay for the beer, according to the report.
Deavers was charged with second-degree petit theft and taken to the Marion County Jail. Because his car was at the gas pumps, a tow truck had to be called to remove it. During an inventory search of the vehicle, the deputy found an unopened can of “Clubtails” Bahama Mama beer under the seat. The can was cold to the touch and colder than the temperature inside the vehicle, according to the report.
Told about the beer that was found in his vehicle, Deavers said he must have forgotten about it being there and said it was there for several days, the report said.
Deavers was released on $500 bond.