A 34-year-old Ocala man with prior theft convictions was arrested after he was accused of stealing nearly $500 worth of merchandise from a local truck stop.
On Monday, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to the Love’s Travel Stop located at 7791 NW 47th Avenue in Ocala in reference to a theft that had recently occurred.
Upon arrival, store employees provided the deputy with surveillance footage which showed a man, later identified as Duane Timothy Immich II, grabbing various merchandise from the store and leaving without paying.
The MCSO report indicated that the total value of the stolen merchandise was $497.98.
The employees advised that they last saw Immich as he was running towards the woods located to the west of the store. When the deputy entered the nearby woods, Immich was spotted, and the deputy recognized him from the store’s surveillance footage.
According to the MCSO report, Immich was instructed to walk towards the deputy. After taking a few steps forward, Immich turned around and ran into the woods. The deputy pursued Immich, quickly apprehended him, and secured him in handcuffs.
Immich told the deputy that he thought he had a warrant out for his arrest. Once Immich was escorted into the deputy’s patrol car, he refused to speak with the deputy regarding the theft incident.
Multiple items were located in the wooded area where Immich had been found, and a store employee positively identified those items as belonging to the store. A criminal history search of Immich revealed that he had prior theft convictions in 2006 and 2013 in Lake County.
Immich was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held on $12,000 bond. He is facing a felony charge for petit theft from a merchant (third or subsequent offense) and a misdemeanor charge for resisting an officer without violence.
A court date has been scheduled on Tuesday, August 9 at 9 a.m., according to jail records.