A Silver Springs man had heroin in his vehicle when he was arrested for allegedly stealing a car battery charger from the Wal-Mart in Summerfield.
Bryan Wayne Lunsford, 35, of 16620 NE 56th Lane, was charged with second-degree petit theft (third or subsequent offense), possession of heroin and possession of drug equipment.
A Marion County sheriff’s deputy was contacted Monday evening by the loss-prevention manager of the store, located at 17961 S. U.S. Hwy. 441. The employee said a man walked out of the store with unpaid merchandise and left in a maroon GMC Envoy traveling north on S. U.S. Highway 441. He said the man, who was wearing a green shirt and khaki pants, took a car battery charger without paying for it, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The deputy observed a vehicle matching that description traveling north on South U.S. Highway 441. While traveling behind the vehicle, the deputy paced it and determined it was traveling 61 mph in a 45-mph zone. The license plate was obscured with debris and unreadable, the report said.
The deputy initiated a traffic stop along the 11000 block of SE Hwy. 42 and observed a box in the back of the vehicle matching the description of the item reported stolen. The driver, later identified as Lunsford, matched the physical description of the suspect provided by the employee, according to the report.
Lunsford told the deputy his vehicle registration was expired. While this deputy was writing a warning for an expired registration, another deputy went to Wal-Mart and confirmed that Lunsford walked into the store without the item, selected the item off the shelf and passed all final points of sale without trying to pay for it, the report said.
The store’s security manager said the item taken by Lunsford was a Schumacher brand 200-amp electric wheel charger valued at $99.74. He said Schumacher did not have permission to take the item and he wanted to press charges for theft, according to the report.
After being read his Miranda warning, Lunsford admitted to taking the battery charger from Wal-Mart without paying. He said he is struggling financially and took the item to sell it. A records search showed Lunsford has three prior theft convictions, the report said.
Lunsford’s vehicle was searched before being towed. Inside the glove box, a deputy found a small cloth zipper bag containing two hypodermic needles, several plastic bags with a white tan powder residue, and a silver cup container. One of the needles was loaded with a tan/brown liquid substance, which tested positive for heroin, according to the report.
Lunsford told the deputy he didn’t know the items were in the vehicle and he believed they belonged to his uncle. He admitted to having a substance abuse issue with heroin but denied using it recently, the report said.
Lunsford was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was released Tuesday on $5,000 bond. No court information was available.
