A man emerged from a convenience store to discover his Lexus had been stolen, along with his daughter’s insulin.
The man left his keys in the white 2000 Lexus GS400 at about 10:30 a.m. Thursday and went into the Lake Hills Food Store at 10015 E. Hwy. 25 in Belleview, according to an arrest report from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. The man had his daughter with him and her insulin and glucose meter were in the car.
When they walked out of the store, they found the Lexus was gone. When he spoke to deputies, the owner mentioned that the vehicle had been low on gas.
Surveillance cameras captured images of the thief and those images were shared among local law enforcement.
A member of the Ocala Police Department spotted the Lexus and a driver matching the description provided with the image from the convenience store surveillance. The officer initiated a traffic stop and took the driver, 67-year-old David Hernandez of Belleview, into custody. A criminal history check revealed that Hernandez has previous arrests for robbery and larceny in New York.
The owner of the Lexus arrived on the scene and positively identified his vehicle. A gas can was in the car and the owner indicated the gas can did not belong to him. His daughter’s insulin was missing.
Hernandez refused to speak to law enforcement.
He was arrested on charges of grand theft of a motor vehicle and theft. He was booked at the Marion County Jail where he was initially held without bond.
