A 24-year-old Ocala man was arrested this week on theft and criminal mischief charges after he allegedly destroyed over $800 worth of plants that he attempted to steal from a local Walmart.

Earlier this year, on May 5, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to the Walmart located at 34 Bahia Avenue in Ocala in reference to a retail theft incident. Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with a loss prevention associate who advised that a “suspicious man and woman” were “circling the front of the store” while pushing two “completely filled” shopping carts, according to the arrest report.

The associate advised that the suspicious man, later identified as Trevenski Lennard Fitzgerald, proceeded to push a shopping cart filled with plants past the cash registers. When Fitzgerald neared one of the exits, another employee attempted to stop him from leaving with the unpaid items, and he allegedly “(threw) the cart to the wall” before walking out of the store.

The deputy noted in the report that the store’s video surveillance footage showed the suspect, Fitzgerald, pushing a shopping cart filled with plants past all points of sale. When the employee attempted to stop Fitzgerald near the exit, he allegedly threw the cart to the ground and walked towards the parking lot.

The report stated that the plants in the shopping cart, which were valued at $840, were “destroyed.”

Four months later, on Saturday, September 7, an MCSO deputy responded to the same Walmart after the loss prevention associate allegedly observed Fitzgerald “under ringing merchandise” in the store. The associate further suspected that Fitzgerald was the individual who had attempted to steal the plants on May 5.

While at the store, the deputy made contact with Fitzgerald. After being read his Miranda rights, Fitzgerald allegedly admitted to “knocking over plants in front of the store” in May when a “female employee (blamed) him for stealing,” according to the report.

An arrest warrant was issued by a Marion County judge on Monday, September 9, and Fitzgerald was located and arrested two days later. He was transported to Marion County Jail, where he is currently being held on a $4,000 bond.

Fitzgerald is facing the following charges: grand theft over $300 but less than $5,000, criminal mischief with property damage over $200 but under $1,000, and retail theft of $300 or more.

A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.