A suspected thief will have to answer in court after fleeing on a bicycle with merchandise stolen from Belk in The Villages.
Barry Welsh, 21, of Orlando, was chased down on the afternoon of April 8 when he was allegedly carrying a duffle bag loaded with merchandise taken from the store at La Plaza Grande. A Belk loss prevention officer nabbed Welsh and detained him until law enforcement arrived, according to an incident report from the Lady Lake Police Department.
Welsh had a black Adiddas duffle bag which contained a black pair of polo pants, a three-pack of crew T-shirts, a pair of shoes, a second pair of pants and a short-sleeve crew T-shirt. The merchandise had a total value of $239.50.
Welsh, who had no prior retail theft convictions, was issued a notice to appear in Lake County Court. He also was banned from Belk.
