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Friday, March 29, 2024

Man arrested after being accused of stealing a/c units from Lowe’s in Ocala

A 38-year-old man was arrested by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) after he was accused of stealing several air conditioning units from a Lowe’s home improvement store in Ocala.

On July 6, 2022, MCSO deputies responded to the Lowe’s located at 7575 SW 90th Street in reference to a theft. A loss prevention associate advised that the theft had occurred at the store on June 1, 2022.

The Lowe’s associate advised that the store’s video surveillance footage from the day of the theft showed a white male who had entered the store through the garden center shortly after 1:30 p.m.

The associate advised that the male suspect was pushing an empty flat cart, and he entered an aisle and loaded three Hisense air conditioning units onto the cart. The associate then advised that the suspect walked out of the store with the unpaid merchandise, which was valued at $1,197.

The MCSO report stated that the deputies reviewed the surveillance footage. The male suspect was observed exiting the store with the three air conditioning units at approximately 1:41 p.m., and he loaded the items into a dark colored Ford SUV before driving out of the camera’s view.

The Lowe’s associate regularly worked at multiple stores across several counties, and the employee told investigators that the suspect appeared to be a man named Christopher Scott Manco.

Christopher Scott Manco
Christopher Scott Manco

According to the associate, Manco had committed several thefts at other Lowe’s locations, including at a store in Citrus County. MCSO contacted the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), and a CCSO detective confirmed that there have been multiple incidents involving retail theft from major home improvement stores, which all culminated with the suspect being identified as Manco.

The CCSO detective also advised that Manco was suspected of pawning numerous stolen items.

According to MCSO, investigators were given a copy of the CCSO incident report regarding the theft of two air compressors from a Lowe’s store in Citrus County that occurred on May 10, 2022. The incident report stated that the theft was carried out in an identical manner – the suspect entered the store with an empty flat cart, loaded the merchandise, and left the store without paying for the items.

After CCSO investigators reviewed surveillance footage from the theft, they identified Manco as the suspect after comparing the video footage to Manco’s driver’s license photo.

When an MCSO corporal reviewed still photographs from the surveillance video footage and compared it to Manco’s driver’s license photo, the corporal noted in the MCSO report that Manco had “the same physical characteristics as the subject in the video.”

During MCSO’s investigation into the theft that occurred at the Lowe’s in Ocala on June 1, investigators learned that Manco had been arrested by the Palm Bay Police Department regarding a retail theft at a Home Depot store.

A loss prevention associate at the Home Depot store in Palm Bay advised that on June 20, 2022, Manco was observed on video surveillance footage loading two generators on a flat cart, and he walked past the registers and exited the store without paying for the merchandise.

After being read his Miranda rights by a Palm Bay Police Department officer, Manco stated that he had an expensive drug habit, and he admitted that he has “lost control” and needs help, according to the MCSO report. Manco admitted to committing the retail thefts and stated that most, if not all, of the items he had pawned were stolen out of multiple counties that included Osceola, Brevard, and Orange.

During the interview with the Palm Bay Police Department, Manco stated that he only shoplifted from Home Depot and Lowe’s stores.

The MCSO corporal learned that Manco had pawned numerous items in unopened original packaging, including several Hisense air conditioning units, though the corporal was unable to locate a specific pawn, by model or serial numbers, showing an exact match for the air conditioning units that were stolen from the Lowe’s in Ocala.

The corporal checked the registration on Manco’s vehicle, which had been used in Palm Bay, and discovered that the vehicle was registered to one of Manco’s relatives in Citrus County. After obtaining a photograph of Manco’s vehicle, the corporal was able to confirm that it matched the vehicle that the suspect had used to leave the Lowe’s store in Ocala.

The MCSO report stated that the corporal contacted Manco’s relative who owned the vehicle, and the relative confirmed that it was in Manco’s possession on or around June 1.

Due to Manco being incarcerated in the Brevard County Jail, a warrant was issued for Manco’s arrest in Marion County.

On Thursday, October 27, Manco was arrested by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held on $2,000 bond. He is facing a felony charge for grand theft (over $300 but less than $5,000).

A court date has been scheduled on Tuesday, November 29 at 9 a.m., according to jail records.