A homeless man was arrested in the theft of a bicycle trailer from Target at Rolling Acres Plaza in The Villages.
An officer responded to the store regarding a retail theft around 9:10 p.m. March 19, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department.
Upon arrival, the officer met with an asset protection leader who advised that 41-year-old Justin David MacArthur came into the store, went to the bicycle section and loaded a $149.99 bicycle trailer into his cart. He then passed all points of sale and left through the front of the store without paying. He headed south 30 minutes before the officer got there, the report said.
The officer subsequently headed south on U.S. Hwy. 27/441. As he was passing Rolling Acres Road, he saw a man matching MacArthur’s description riding a bike and pulling a blue bike trailer. The officer turned around and detained him, the report said.
MacArthur was placed in the patrol vehicle, and a K-9 unit sniffed his belongings. As the K-9 passed over his bags, he advised that they all belonged to him. The K-9 then alerted the odor of narcotics which resulted in a search. The officer found a plastic jar with 0.3 grams of marijuana as a result, the report said.
There was also a woman with MacArthur who permitted the officer to search her belongings. A pink round container with 1.68 grams of methamphetamine was found, but MacArthur stated it also belonged to him, the report said.
MacArthur was charged with possession of methamphetamine, retail theft (second or subsequent conviction) and possession of marijuana. He was transported to Lake County Jail with bond set at $4,500.
He was also arrested in March 2022 for allegedly stealing from a Wawa in Mount Dora.