BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Samuel Antonio Mitchell, 35, was arrested yesterday morning and charged with grand theft, possession of a controlled substance, and resisting arrest after allegedly taking $1,137 in items from Walmart and running away from an officer.
Mitchell allegedly put 51 items in a shopping cart at the Waldo Road Walmart, then walked out of the store without paying. When he was approached by the store’s Loss Prevention Officer, he reportedly abandoned the shopping cart, ran across Waldo Road, and entered Candlelight Estates.
Gainesville Police Department officers began searching Candlelight Estates for Mitchell, who allegedly ran when he saw an officer at a distance. An officer who was walking around a home reportedly heard Mitchell’s footsteps and began talking with him; Mitchell then allegedly ran again. After a short foot chase, an officer caught him and detained him.
In a search incident to arrest, officers reportedly found 2 baggies in Mitchell’s socks, containing 2.67 grams of a white powder and 2.91 grams of a white rocky substance; the substances tested positive for MDPV, and Mitchell reportedly identified them as “molly.”
Post Miranda, Mitchell reportedly said he had not taken the items from Walmart and had left them behind; he said he ran from officers because he had drugs in his socks.
Mitchell has 15 felony convictions and has served six prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2019 on a petit theft conviction (3rd or subsequent charge). Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $12,500.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
