A Villager who got off easy earlier this year in a skip-scanning case landed behind bars this week in a fresh theft case.
Andrew Kevin Barrett, 62, of the Village of De La Vista North, was picked up on a warrant Wednesday and booked at the Sumter County Detention Center. He was released after posting $1,000 bond.
The latest arrest stems from a March 23 incident at the Lowe’s home improvement store on U.S. Hwy. 441 in Lady Lake. According to an arrest affidavit from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, Barrett entered the store at about 7 p.m. that day and went to the customer service desk to return a couple of items. After completing the return, he pushed his cart to the flooring department and selected 22 sheets of mosaic tile. He then went to the seasonal department and grabbed an eight-pound sledgehammer and a pair of work gloves.
Barrett approached a register, placed the work gloves on the counter, and exited the store without paying for the tiles or the sledgehammer, which had a total value of $264.54.
However, a short time later, Barrett re-entered the store and told several associates he had lost his wallet. Before leaving the store a second time, he approached a register and handed the cashier a piece of paper with his name and phone number on it.
A Lowe’s loss prevention officer reviewed surveillance footage and contacted law enforcement. Investigators easily linked Barrett to the crime using the contact information he left behind, as well as the license plate on his white pickup truck. He is facing a charge of second-degree petit theft (second offense).
Barrett is no stranger to local law enforcement. Earlier this year, he paid $628 in fines and court costs after pleading no contest to a theft charge for skip-scanning at the Walmart at Buffalo Ridge Plaza. In that incident, Barrett scanned a container of grapes with a barcode for bananas and placed a single peach on the scale instead of the grapes. He fled in his white Toyota Tundra but was pulled over by a deputy and identified by his Boston ball cap.
Additionally, Barrett was arrested on drug charges in 2023 in The Villages.