A 34-year-old Fort McCoy man was arrested after he was accused of stealing $118 worth of merchandise from a Dollar General store in Marion County.
On Thursday, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy and a deputy trainee responded to the Dollar General located at 12911 NE Jacksonville Road in Anthony in reference to a theft incident. Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with a female employee who advised that she had observed Dustin Lee Heaberlin as he improperly scanned multiple items at a self-checkout kiosk.
According to the employee, she had voided part of Heaberlin’s transaction while he was still at the kiosk, and she noticed Kool-Aid packets that were on the screen. However, the employee advised that there were numerous other items on the kiosk itself that were not scanned.
The employee stated that she informed a co-worker about the suspicious transaction, and that co-worker made contact with Heaberlin as he was walking out of the store with the merchandise. When the co-worker demanded that Heaberlin show his receipt from the transaction, he handed the co-worker a receipt that only listed six Kool-Aid packets for a total cost of $2.82.
The employee advised that none of the items inside Heaberlin’s cart were on his receipt. According to the employee, Heaberlin left the shopping cart behind, entered a gray car, and drove away from the store.
The employee told the deputy that she personally knew Heaberlin. When the deputy showed the employee a photo of Heaberlin from an MCSO inmate search, she confirmed that Heaberlin was the individual at the self-kiosk during the time of the theft.
The MCSO report stated that the deputy reviewed the store’s video surveillance footage from the time of the incident. Between 1:38 p.m. and 1:44 p.m., Heaberlin was observed at the self-checkout kiosk, and the deputy noted in the report that Heaberlin was seen scanning grape Kool-Aid packets instead of the actual products to get a cheaper price.
According to the MCSO report, the items that Heaberlin allegedly took from the store included one Hot Pockets pepperoni package ($15 value), two 16-ounce Mountain Dew bottles ($1/each), a bottle of shampoo ($11.95), Raid ant baits ($4.50), a bottle of body wash ($5.25), dryer sheets ($13.50), two packs of socks ($11.25/each), night pants ($8.75), and trash bags ($5.95).
The total loss for the store was $118.68.
The deputy responded to Heaberlin’s residence and made contact with him. After being read his Miranda Rights, Heaberlin admitted that he was at the store at the time of the theft, and he admitted that he had scanned the Kool-Aid packets instead of the actual products.
When Heaberlin was stopped by the store employee as he made his way towards the exit, he told the deputy that “he knew he had already committed a crime.” He claimed that he only tried to take the items because he needed food and wanted clean clothes.
A criminal history search of Heaberlin revealed that he was previously convicted of petit theft in Marion County (2019) and Osceola County (2010).
Heaberlin 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).
A court date has been scheduled on Tuesday, November 22 at 9 a.m., according to jail records.