A 58-year-old resident of The Villages says his drug addiction is fueling multiple shoplifting arrests at Walmart.
James Wallace of Rio Ponderosa Village is scheduled to meet with a judge in Sumter County Monday morning for a probation violation hearing. He was being held without bail at the Sumter County Detention Center this weekend after being transferred here from the Pinellas County Jail.
Wallace had been arrested last year for stealing merchandise from Walmart at The Village’s Buffalo Ridge Plaza. She waited in her car, and when Wallace returned, he encouraged her to run her car “immediately.” A woman, unaware that she stole her merchandise from Walmart, ran briefly before ordering her out of the car. She worked with the Sumter County Sheriff’s Deputy who was investigating a theft at a Walmart.
When he was pursued by his agent, Wallace admitted to stealing items because he was addicted to crack cocaine. He has a long list of larceny convictions, including arrests in Lake County where he was arrested. Additionally, Wallace was arrested at a Walmart in Summerfield for stealing four cases of beer, two bags of potato chips, four bungee cords, and two tarps.
The Chicago native violated probation for failing to follow a drug evaluation. He also violated his probation by leaving the Village and going to Pinellas County.
