An Ocala man who allegedly stole $15 worth of candy from a Circle K in Gainesville is facing several felony charges after he told a deputy that he planted bombs at airports in Tampa and Clearwater, prompting thorough searches through both facilities.
On Monday, March 17, a deputy with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a retail theft at a Circle K gas station located along NE Waldo Road in Gainesville.
According to responding officer Malcom Wilson’s report, Joshua R. Snavely entered the gas station at around 12:53 p.m. and gathered two Snickers candy bars, a bag of M&Ms, a bag of Ruffles potato chips, a can of Bang energy drink, a Mr. Goodbar, and a Reese’s.
In total, the items cost approximately $15.53.
After Snavely collected the items, he allegedly walked out of the front door of the store and, as he exited, stated that he was “taking this stuff” and that the staff could “call law enforcement if” they wanted.
The report indicates that Snavely then walked over to a propane tank on the store’s property and began to “indulge in his newly acquired snacks.”
The Circle K shift leader approached Snavely and instructed him to leave the property, but he allegedly refused to comply.
Upon the arrival of law enforcement authorities, Snavely told deputies that he “stole the items from the store.”
When asked for his name and date of birth, the report indicates that Snavely claimed his name was “Joe Smith.”
During the ensuing conversation, Snavely “spontaneously repeated that he had placed an explosive in Terminal 1 inside the Tampa Airport, asserting that the explosive was set to detonate.”
According to the report, the Hillsborough and Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squads were notified and immediately responded to the facilities.
The agencies performed a thorough search of both the St.Pete-Clearwater International Airport and the Tampa International Airport and located no explosives.
Snavely, who turned 40 at the end of January, was accused of making a false report with the “intent to deceive, mislead, and misinform law enforcement officers on the scene regarding the placement of a bomb at Tampa International Airport.”
The report goes on to note that his “behavior was not typical of law-abiding individuals and raised immediate concerns for the safety” of the Circle K staff.
While Snavely was being placed under arrested for loitering and prowling, the deputy noticed that his socks had the name “Joshua Snavely” written on them.
“A search of the law enforcement database revealed the defendant’s actual name is ‘Joshua Raymond Snavely,’ which is not even close to Joe Smith,” reads a statement from the deputy’s report.
According to Alachua County records, Snavely faces charges of making a false report of a bomb, explosive, or weapon of mass destruction, giving false identification to a law enforcement officer, trespassing, loitering, and larceny.
On March 18, the court docket in his case shows that Snavely was appointed a public defender. That attorney, William Miller, made his first appearance on behalf of Snavely this week.