Man arrested for stealing register at Walmart, sheriff’s office says

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — A man was arrested and accused of stealing a cash register from a Walmart store in Palm Coast, Florida.

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The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said during a theft at a Walmart on Dec. 10, John Michael Wakefield, 43, was confronted by a store employee he allegedly shoved out of the way, according to WFLA.

Through facial recognition, information from his vehicle and his ‘Key West’ T-shirt and witness statements, investigators were able to track him down in Ocoee, according to the news outlet. The sheriff’s office said it also took “some social media sleuthing” to track Wakefield down. When investigators went through his gray Hyundai SUV, they found his ‘Key West’ T-shirt inside along with a ski mask, an airsoft pellet gun that looked realistic and methamphetamine.

Once Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) tracked Wakefield down, it was learned that the vehicle was a rental car and that Wakefield was released from prison in 2021 after he served about ten years for armed robbery, the sheriff’s office said. He also had a history of trafficking and possessing narcotics, grand theft and robbery, according to WFLA.

“This dirtbag made the mistake of coming to Flagler County to commit his crime not knowing we have extensive technology, and an amazing RTCC and investigative team,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “He didn’t learn from his previous time behind bars and hopefully the courts will send him back to prison. I commend our investigative team, our Real Time Crime Center team, and the Florida Highway Patrol for bringing him to justice and ending his crime spree.”

Wakefield is being held on a $60,000 bond, WFLA reported.

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