Two Ocala residents were taken into custody over the weekend after allegedly stealing Nike sneakers from a local thrift store.
According to the arrest record, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy arrived at The Lotus House (3420 NE Jacksonville Road in Ocala) on Sunday, September 7, in response to a theft incident that occurred earlier that afternoon.
The deputy stated in his report that the store’s owner provided video surveillance footage of the theft incident. The two suspects, a man later identified as 44-year-old Danny Lee Fletcher and a woman later identified as 42-year-old Carla Ruth Pilkons, were seen on video stealing separate pairs of Nike sneakers off a rack inside the store at around 2:10 p.m.
Then, Fletcher and Pilkons allegedly took off their shoes before placing the stolen Nike sneakers on their feet. They then walked out of the business, wearing the stolen sneakers, according to the report.
The retailer alerted MCSO that the stolen sneakers were each worth $100.
According to the complaint, during the theft, the male suspect (Fletcher) was dressed in a blue T-shirt with the words “I just wet my pants” and camo shorts. The female suspect (Pilkons) wore a tank top with stars and stripes and blue pants.
The store’s owner notified the deputy that a theft-related social media post had been published, which featured images of the two suspects in this instance. The report states that several people contacted the owner about the post, identifying Fletcher and Pilkons as suspects.
While investigating the theft, the deputy learned that Fletcher and Pilkons had been located on the 4700 block of NW 44th Avenue in Ocala. They were both riding bicycles while allegedly wearing the same outfit and stolen sneakers.
An MCSO sergeant in the area found Fletcher and Pilkons, and both suspects were held for interrogation. After being read their Miranda rights, Fletcher and Pilkons allegedly admitted to the theft.
A criminal history investigation revealed that Fletcher has two prior theft convictions in Marion County from 2020, as well as two additional theft charges in Alachua County the following year.
Pilkons had already been convicted of stealing in Marion County in 2018.
Fletcher and Pilkons were arrested and taken into Marion County Jail, where they are now housed. According to jail records, Fletcher is charged with felony petit theft (third or subsequent crime), while Pilkons faces a misdemeanor charge for petit theft.
According to jail records, Fletcher and Pilkons do not yet have a court date scheduled.