A shoplifting suspect’s distinctive neck tattoo led to his arrest after a computer hard drive was swiped from Target.
Kyle Louis Flowers, 37, of Sarasota, was arrested Tuesday in connection with the Nov. 22 heist at the Target at Trailwinds Village on County Road 466A.
According to a warrant affidavit from the Wildwood Police Department, store surveillance cameras captured Flowers wandering the aisles before picking up a Western Digital external hard drive valued at $134.99. The electronic device was locked securely inside a plastic security box, but the thief apparently came prepared.
Video footage showed Flowers slipping behind a men’s clothing rack with the boxed device. Seconds later, he casually emerged with just the unboxed hard drive in his hand. A loss prevention officer later found the discarded, empty security box hidden behind the clothing rack, leading investigators to surmise Flowers used a magnetic device to expertly bust open the case. He then concealed the hard drive and strolled past the cash registers without paying.
Flowers hopped into a black Ford pickup truck to make his getaway, but he left behind a clear shot of his license plate. The truck was registered in his name, giving a Wildwood police crime analyst the perfect lead.
The analyst pulled up a recent mugshot of Flowers from a December arrest by the Sarasota Police Department. The man in the mugshot was a dead ringer for the Target thief. Both the security video and the booking photo showcased a heavily tattooed man with a bulky build, facial hair, and a highly specific neck tattoo — a large letter F surrounded by several stars on the right side of his neck.
A criminal history check revealed Flowers has more than two prior convictions for theft and larceny.
He was arrested Tuesday on a felony charge of petit theft (third or subsequent offense). He was being held without bond at the Sumter County Detention Center.