78.5 F
Ocala
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Man with prior theft convictions accused of stealing from Ocala Walmart

A 54-year-old Ocala man with several prior theft convictions was arrested after he was accused of stealing multiple items from a local Walmart.

On Monday, September 19, at approximately 1:30 p.m., a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to the Walmart located at 9570 SW Highway 200 in reference to a retail theft incident.

Upon arrival at the store, the deputy made contact with an asset protection associate who advised that on Tuesday, September 13, a man wearing tan shorts, a black shirt, a hat, and a face mask was observed at one of the self-checkout registers. The man was later identified as Steven Eugene Olson.

Steven Eugene Olson
Steven Eugene Olson

According to the associate, Olson failed to scan several items while he was at the register, and he proceed to pass all points of sale with the unpaid merchandise in his cart. The associate stated that when two store employees approached Olson, he abandoned the shopping cart and fled the store. All of the merchandise was left in the cart, including the items that were paid for.

While the store was conducting an investigation into the theft, it was discovered that Olson had allegedly left behind an envelope with a shopping list written on the back, according to the MCSO report. Inside the envelope, a check made payable to Olson was located, which is how he was identified.

A total of six unpaid items were found in the shopping cart that Olson had allegedly abandoned when confronted by the store employees. The total loss for the store was $49.86.

A criminal history search of Olson revealed that he has two prior convictions for theft: in Polk County, Florida for grand theft (2016) and in Oregon (1983).

On Thursday, September 22, at approximately 10:30 a.m., the deputy responded to Olson’s place of employment and made contact with him. After being read his Miranda rights, Olson stated that he was not at the Walmart, and he also claimed that he was not missing any checks.

The deputy noted in the MCSO report that Olson had a star tattoo on his right thumb, and the same tattoo had been observed on the male suspect at the time of the theft.

The Walmart employee who had reported the theft to MCSO arrived at Olson’s place of employment and “100% positively identified him,” according to the MCSO report.

Olson was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held on $2,000 bond. He is facing a felony charge for second degree petit theft (third or subsequent offense), along with a charge for violation of probation since he was on active felony probation at the time of his arrest.

A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.