A man with three prior felony theft convictions was arrested in Marion County, weeks after he allegedly tried to steal over $480 worth of merchandise from a local Walmart.
The theft incident occurred at around 5:45 p.m. on Thursday, August 21, at the Walmart located at 11012 N Williams Street in Dunnellon. The arrest report stated that a male suspect was pushing a shopping cart filled with hundreds of dollars’ worth of merchandise towards the exit when he was stopped by greeter who requested to see a receipt.
According to the report, the suspect had passed the registers without making any attempt to pay, and he “refused to show any proof of purchase” to the greeter. The suspect then proceeded to walk out of the store and drive away in a burgundy Mitsubishi sedan, leaving the unpaid merchandise behind.
An MCSO deputy noted in the report that the stolen items included a heavy-duty tarp, clothing items, a pair of sneakers, a vacuum, wallpaper, and LED strip lights, among other items.
The day after the theft, an MCSO detective reviewed video surveillance footage of the suspect and positively identified him as 42-year-old Williston resident Joshua Paul Curry. The report stated that the detective was familiar with Curry and knew that he drove a 2007 Mitsubishi sedan, which matched the vehicle the suspect had fled in.
A criminal history search of Curry revealed that he has three prior theft convictions, with the most recent conviction occurring in Levy County this past December.
A warrant was issued for Curry’s arrest in late August, and he was taken into custody and booked into Marion County Jail on Tuesday, October 14. He is currently being held without bond, and he is being charged with second-degree petit theft (third or subsequent offense).
Curry is scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, November 18, according to jail records.