While Villagers were busy doing their holiday shopping, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office was quietly in the background making arrests.
In all, the 2015 edition of Operation Safe Shopper netted 40 arrests in The Villages.
These were arrests ranging from warrants to a felon with a firearm, said Lt. Robert Siemer, Villages District Commander.
It was the third year of the sheriff’s office’s Operation Safe Shopper which had patrols focused heavily on shopping centers, banks and recreational facilities throughout the month of December.
Perhaps the most notable arrest was that of a 65-year-old convicted felon who was arrested Dec. 19 on County Road 466 with a rifle on the front seat of his car and an open bottle of Yuengling beer.
Marvin Clay James Jr. had been convicted in 1991 in Hillsborough County on a felony charge of larceny. He has since been convicted of other felonies. He was arrested on two counts of possession of a weapon or ammunition by a felon and a charge of driving while license suspended. He was also cited for open container and issued a written warning for driving an unregistered vehicle.
He is free on $21,000 bond and his case is pending in Sumter County Court.
