A 32-year-old Citra man with multiple prior theft convictions was arrested after he stole merchandise from a Walmart in southwest Ocala.
On Wednesday, February 23, an Ocala Police Department officer responded to the Walmart located at 2600 SW 19th Avenue Road in reference to a theft.
A loss prevention agent at the store told the officer that a man, later identified as Dyllyn Keith Willoughby, was attempting to remove an anti-theft alarm from merchandise. The agent also reported that Willoughby concealed nearly $40 worth of over-the-counter medication and a neck gaiter valued at $2 within his jacket.
Willoughby was seen on the store’s video surveillance footage as he walked past the registers and out of the store. The agent watched as he entered a Ford vehicle and drove eastbound through the parking lot.
When the officer arrived on scene, the loss prevention agent advised that Willoughby’s vehicle had been located in the adjacent Planet Fitness parking lot on SW 24th Avenue.
The officer watched a live video surveillance feed and saw a man matching Willoughby’s description enter the driver’s seat and drive northbound through the parking lot. Additional OPD officers located Willoughby’s vehicle near the intersection of SW 19th Avenue Road and SW 24th Avenue and a traffic stop was conducted.
The officer who was watching the video surveillance feed responded to the location of the traffic stop. The OPD report indicated that Willoughby had switched seats with the passenger.
Willoughby was detained and he told the officer, “I didn’t steal nothing, man.” When the officer attempted to explain that there was video surveillance of the theft, Willoughby reiterated that he did not steal anything.
The loss prevention agent sent a text message to the officer with a copy of the video surveillance footage which showed Willoughby placing items into his jacket. He told the officer that he only placed the items in his pocket for a moment and then he put the items back on the shelf.
According to the OPD report, the video footage showed that Willoughby did not remove the items from his jacket.
The officer searched Willoughby and found a glasses case in his pocket which contained two used needles, a spoon, a small plastic bag containing a white powdery substance, and eight pills that were inside a container.
Willoughby stated that the pills were not his and he claimed that the powder was “Epsom salt.” He admitted that he used the spoon and needle for heroin.
The powdery substance and paraphernalia field-tested positive for the presence of heroin and methamphetamine. The pills were identified as Diazepam.
A criminal history search revealed that Willoughby had multiple prior theft convictions in 2011, 2014, and 2018. In 2011, he was convicted of burglary of an occupied dwelling and resisting an officer with violence.
The officer also learned that Willoughby’s driver’s license was revoked in 2006, and he received citations for driving with a suspended or revoked license in 2014 (twice) and in 2020.
Willoughby was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held on $14,000 bond. He is facing felony charges for retail theft (second or subsequent offense), possession of methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance, and knowingly driving with a revoked license (third or subsequent offense).
A court date has been scheduled on Tuesday, March 29 at 9 a.m., according to jail records.