A suspect was found sipping a beer he allegedly stole from a cooler at Dollar General in Wildwood.
A clerk at the Dollar General on Main Street called law enforcement when a suspect later identified as 69-year-old Bill Howard Dye of Wildwood entered the store at about 7 a.m. Tuesday and slipped two Bud Ice 16-ounce beer cans in the pockets of his shorts, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department. He left the store without paying for the two beers. The incident was captured on store surveillance.
An officer looked at the surveillance and recognized Dye, who has a previous criminal history, including several shoplifting convictions.
Officers went to Dye’s home at 406 Peters St. and found him drinking a freshly opened 16-ounce Bud Ice. A second can was found in the pocket of his shorts.
When officers attempted to take Dye into custody, he tensed up and tried to prevent the officers from placing him in handcuffs.
He was arrested on charges of theft and resisting arrest. He was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center and released after posting $2,500 bond.