A suspect in a theft case at Target was tracked down and arrested in the kitchen of a local Outback Steakhouse restaurant.
Miguel Mauricio Munoz-Tabares, 33, of Belleview, was taken into custody May 19 while working in the rear kitchen area of the restaurant at Trailwinds Village on County Road 466A in Wildwood.
The arrest came nearly a week after officers from the Wildwood Police Department were called to investigate a theft at the Target located in the exact same shopping plaza.
According to an arrest report, a Target asset protection agent noticed Munoz-Tabares acting strangely on the afternoon of May 13. Security footage showed him grab a $19.99 Heyday phone case, walk over to the toy aisle to conceal it under his black jacket, and leave the store without paying.
Munoz-Tabares left the area in a black Honda passenger car, but parking lot security cameras managed to capture his license plate. Law enforcement used the Florida tag to identify Munoz-Tabares, noting his driver’s license photo was a match for the man seen on the store’s video.
The investigation eventually led officers right back to the plaza where the crime occurred. An officer went to the Outback Steakhouse, located Munoz-Tabares in the kitchen, and apprehended him.
He was charged with petit theft and booked at the Sumter County Detention Center. He was released after posting $500 bond.