A 24-year-old Summerfield man was arrested after he admitted to stealing a man’s wallet that had been left inside a convenience store in Ocala.
On February 22, the male victim contacted the Marion County Sheriff’s Office to report the theft of his wallet. The victim advised that he had traveled to the Circle K located at 5201 S Pine Avenue in Ocala, and he went inside the convenience store to make a purchase, according to the MCSO report.
The victim told the sheriff’s office that he placed his wallet on the counter and forgot to pick it up before leaving the store. When he returned to the convenience store, the wallet and its contents ($1,400 in cash and miscellaneous cards) were gone.
An MCSO corporal responded to the incident location and viewed the store’s video surveillance footage from the time of the incident. The corporal noted in the arrest report that the victim left his wallet on the counter, and the customer behind him – later identified as Sean Anthony Mathis – proceeded to pay for items with a bag full of coins.
Mathis then grabbed the victim’s wallet and exited the store. The corporal observed Mathis as he approached the gas pumps and entered what appeared to be a white food truck, according to the MCSO report.
On Wednesday, March 15, the corporal responded to the 4000 block of SE Highway 42 in Summerfield and made contact with the registered owner of the food truck and the owner’s daughter who was identified in the report as Mathis’ girlfriend. Both individuals positively identified the man in the video surveillance footage as Mathis.
The corporal made contact with Mathis and he was transported to the MCSO South Multi-District Office for an interview. After being read his Miranda rights, Mathis admitted that he took the victim’s wallet because he was “down on his luck,” according to the MCSO report.
In the report, the corporal noted that Mathis admitted to taking approximately $800 out of the victim’s wallet before throwing it in a trash can near the gas pumps.
Mathis was arrested, transported to Marion County Jail, and he was later released on $2,000 bond. He is facing a felony charge for grand theft over $300 but less than $5,000.
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.