A suspected camera thief was apprehended after fleeing from Best Buy.
An employee attempted to stop 43-year Phillip Ray Brown of Ocala shortly after 8 p.m. Monday as he fled the store with a camera valued at $299, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department. The employee said Brown left the store’s parking lot in a silver Toyota Corolla.
An officer spotted the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop in the parking lot of Home Depot. During a pat down, Brown was found to be in possession of a magnet which had been used to remove the security tag from the camera, the report said. Brown was handcuffed and placed in the back of a patrol car. A search of his car turned up a pipe with the residue of cocaine. He later admitted he had a bag containing cocaine in his pocket.
A check revealed he did not have a valid driver’s license and has two previous convictions for theft.
He was arrested on charges of theft, possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of an anti-shoplifting device and driving while license suspended. He was booked at the Lake County Jail on $12,000 bond.