A 44-year-old man was arrested over the weekend for allegedly stealing over $370 worth of merchandise from an Ocala Walmart and fleeing from law enforcement in the parking lot.
On Saturday, August 5, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office corporal responded to the Walmart located at 9570 SW Highway 200 in Ocala in reference to a retail theft incident. Upon arrival, the corporal made contact with a loss prevention associate who advised that a man, later identified as David Justin Mock, was pushing a shopping cart and concealing items inside two backpacks, according to the arrest report.
The corporal noted in the report that Mock was observed on surveillance footage placing numerous items into the backpacks over an extended period of time. He then put one of the backpacks on his back and grabbed the second backpack from the shopping cart before walking through the garden center towards an exit.
The loss prevention associate attempted to stop Mock near the exit, and the corporal was waiting outside the store in a patrol vehicle. The MCSO report stated that Mock ran past the exit and into the parking lot, and the corporal pursued him down one of the parking lot’s lanes.
While running from the corporal’s patrol vehicle, Mock dropped a cellphone and one of the backpacks on the ground. In the report, the corporal noted that Mock then fled on foot in a southbound direction through the parking lot, and the corporal briefly lost sight of him.
Another MCSO deputy was in the parking lot at the time of the incident, and a citizen informed the deputy that Mock had jumped into the bed of a pickup truck. The MCSO report stated that Mock was located inside the bed of a 2004 Toyota pickup truck, and he was detained.
After being read his Miranda rights, Mock initially claimed that the pickup truck he was found in belonged to a friend, but he later admitted that he did not know the vehicle’s owner. He admitted that he had climbed into the bed of the truck in an attempt to hide from law enforcement, according to the MCSO report.
During the post-Miranda interview, Mock admitted to removing multiple items from the store without paying. The corporal noted in the report that a watch belonging to the store was found in the bed of the pickup truck, and additional merchandise was found inside the backpack that Mock had dropped while fleeing from the corporal. The total value of the stolen merchandise was $377.68.
The corporal conducted a pat-down search of Mock. A small baggie was found inside his pocket, and it contained a white powdery substance that field-tested positive for fentanyl. A small plastic case filled with small blue pills was also located, and the pills were identified as Xanax.
Mock was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held on $7,000 bond. He is facing felony charges for unarmed burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, possession of fentanyl, and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.
Additionally, Mock is facing misdemeanor charges for second-degree petit theft (first offense) and resisting an officer without violence.
A court date has been scheduled at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, September 5, according to jail records.