A suspected shoplifter was apprehended after fleeing Home Depot in Wildwood.
Roberto Licea Raya, 39, of Fort Pierce, entered the store on Powell Road on Saturday afternoon and selected a two-gallon HDX sprayer, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department. He removed the sprayer from the box and began filling the box with merchandise, including a DeWalt 12-ounce steel nail claw, hard hat headlamps, a torque wrench and a ratchet strap. He went through the checkout, but only paid for the sprayer and the ratchet strap. The stolen merchandise had a total value of $442.
When Licea Raya reached the parking lot, he was confronted by a Home Depot loss prevention officer. Licea Raya dropped the box and got into a black pickup towing a Harley-Davidson trailer. He fled the parking lot and the loss prevention officer contacted law enforcement.
A police officer initiated a traffic stop at the nearby Dignity Memorial Life Celebration Center. Licea Raya was found to be in possession of methamphetamine and five glass smoking pipes.
He was arrested on charges of theft, drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was taken into custody and booked at the Sumter County Detention Center.
