A suspect tied last week to a theft at a restaurant in The Villages had recently been in trouble for violating his probation.
Scott David Baran, 30, of Lady Lake, remained behind bars this weekend at the Lake County Jail following his arrest this past Wednesday. He was jailed on a prowling charge after he appeared to match a suspect caught on surveillance taking $4,700 in cash from a safe at Jersey Mike’s Subs at Rolling Acres Plaza in The Villages.
A detective investigating the theft at Jersey Mike’s Subs spotted Baran in a booth at the Circle K/Shell gas station at 3 La Grande Blvd. on the Historic Side of The Villages. The Ohio native slipped out the door before the detective had a chance to detain him. The detective found Baran hiding in some bushes near Tarrson Boulevard.
He had been placed on probation earlier this year on a charge of retail theft. However, he failed to complete the terms of his probation by skipping appointments, failing to perform community service and failing to complete an anti-shoplifting course.
He also was arrested earlier this year on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and driving while license suspended. He was arrested in 2019 on a Marion County warrant charging him with theft.
