A suspected thief who was foiled by facial recognition software has landed back behind bars.
Jason Vincent Saunders, 43, of Summerfield was taken into custody earlier this month by Marion County sheriff’s deputies on a pair of warrants charging him with failure to appear in Sumter Count Court on charges of theft. He was transferred this week to the Sumter County Detention Center where he continued to be held this weekend on $10,000 bond.
Saunders went to the Lowe’s home improvement store on U.S. Hwy. 441 in Lady Lake on Dec. 4 and was caught on surveillance stealing a DeWalt ratchet wrench valued at $249, according to an affidavit of probable cause from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. He had removed it from a secured cabinet, took off the packaging and hid it under his clothing.
A loss prevention officer used Lowe’s facial recognition software and connected the man who stole the wrench to a previous theft at the store. The officer was able to pick out Saunders as the suspect in a photo lineup put together by the sheriff’s office.
Saunders was previously convicted of retail theft in 2013 and in 2014 in Lake County. He was also convicted on theft charges twice in 2013 in Marion County.
