The son of a couple in The Villages has been arrested after allegedly stealing equipment from recreation centers.
Christopher Scott Drummond, 33, who lives with his parents at 688 Mincey Loop in the Village of St. Catherine, was arrested Thursday by Sumter County sheriff’s deputies on two counts of grand theft.
Drummond is accused of stealing Epson projectors from the Allamanda Recreation Center and the Hibiscus Recreation Center. The projectors, each valued at $425, went missing from the recreation centers over the weekend.
An investigation by the sheriff’s office led to the discovery of a white Ford Expedition with a disabled veteran’s license plate. The investigation revealed the man driving the vehicle was trying to sell the projectors. The vehicle’s license plate was tracked to Drummond’s father.
When a deputy went to Drummond’s home, his mother said her son had gone to “The Shores” area in Marion County to retrieve the projectors which had been sold. The deputy returned to the home a few hours later, but Drummond had not returned.
Drummond went to the sheriff’s office Thursday morning and was taken into custody. Drummond admitted he took the projectors from storage rooms at the recreation centers. He admitted he used a side door by the pool to avoid having his Villages ID scanned upon entry into the recreation center. He said he was aware of the recreation centers and the projectors because “he plays cards in the evenings at said recreation centers,” the report said.
A criminal history check revealed Drummond was previously convicted of armed robbery and theft in New York.
He was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center on $2,000 bond.
Drummond’s parents bought their home in the Village of St. Catherine in 2021 for $401,400.
