A 58-year-old Silver Springs man is behind bars for allegedly trading food items that he stole from a local Winn-Dixie for cocaine.
On Monday, May 6, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office corporal and deputy trainee responded to the Winn-Dixie located at 7131 N U.S. Highway 441 in Ocala in reference to a retail theft incident. Upon arrival, they made contact with two witnesses, according to the arrest report.
The witnesses advised that they saw a man, later identified as Michael Shobe Smith, leaving the grocery store with a full cart of groceries. They both stated that Michael Shobe Smith walked past the checkout area without paying for any of the items, according to the report.
Once in the parking lot, one of the witnesses saw Smith enter a white Ford F-150 pickup truck before leaving the area. The report stated that the witness took a photo of the pickup truck.
The corporal noted in the report that the theft incident was captured on the grocery store’s video surveillance footage. The corporal observed that Smith exited the store with a full shopping cart shortly after 3 p.m., bypassing the self-checkout area without scanning any items.
Other footage inside the store showed Smith placing several items in the shopping cart between 2:45 p.m. and 3 p.m. According to the report, the following items were identified in Smith’s shopping cart: three packs of oxtail meat ($60 value), an 18-pack of Heineken beer ($30 value), a 12-pack of Twisted Tea ($27.99 value), a 24-pack of Aquafina water ($12.99 value), a 24-pack of Coca-Cola soda ($20 value), and one bag of Doritos chips ($6.79 value).
The total value of the identified items was nearly $158, though two reusable shopping bags were also observed in the shopping cart. Those bags were filled with unknown items, and the corporal and deputy trainee were informed that the stolen items may be valued closer to $300.
The report stated that on Tuesday, May 7, the corporal and deputy trainee responded to the 2500 block of E Highway 329 in Anthony in reference to a vehicle matching the white pickup truck from the retail theft incident. Upon arrival, they made contact with a woman who advised that she had given a man named “Mikey” a ride to the Winn-Dixie on N U.S. Highway 441 the previous day.
The woman was shown a photo of Smith from the surveillance footage, and she confirmed that the man in the picture was “Mikey.” She then directed the corporal and deputy trainee to the Silver Spring Inn (5565 E Silver Springs Boulevard in Silver Springs), which is where they made contact with Smith, according to the report.
After being read his Miranda rights, Smith initially denied stealing any items from Winn-Dixie. However, he eventually admitted to stealing numerous items from the grocery store, including crab legs. He further advised that he then traded the oxtail, Twisted Teas, and crab legs to an unidentified individual for “crack cocaine.”
A criminal history search of Smith revealed that he has numerous prior theft convictions, including two recent convictions in Marion County, in January 2022 and January 2024, for petit theft.
Smith was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail, where he is currently being held on a $30,000 bond. He is being charged with second-degree petit theft (third or subsequent offense) and dealing in stolen property.
A court date has been scheduled at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, June 11, according to jail records.