An Ocala man was arrested Thursday after he became violent and threatened to “cut” a Publix grocery store manager.
According to a Marion County Sheriff’s Office report, Charles Henry Allen, 51, was driving an electric scooter while shopping with his wife, Christina, at the Publix store at 1227 NW 119th Court. He put several items in bags at his feet before driving past the cash registers and through the first set of exit doors, the report says.
A loss prevention officer asked Allen to come back inside, but he ignored the request and exited the store. A manager also asked Allen to return inside, but he ignored that request as well.
Allen then stood up from the scooter and pushed the manager. He also armed himself with what the manager initially thought were keys and said, “I’ll cut you,” the report says, adding that the manager was afraid he was going to be injured.
The stolen items, at a pre-tax value of $77.80, were left behind when Allen walked around the parking lot and climbed into a White SUV before leaving the area, the report said.
A short time later, deputies went to the address in the 1200 block of NW 119th Court that is connected with the SUV’s license tag number. They talked with Christina Allen, who told them that her husband was inside the house. Deputies entered the home and detained Allen, who they said was hiding.
Christina Allen was questioned and confirmed that she and her husband were shopping at the Publix store after dropping off their roommate in Ocala. She said she wasn’t aware of any items being stolen, but she said she did drop her husband off at the door and later met him inside.
Christina Allen said she gave her husband some body wash and a toothbrush that she thought he was going to put back while she paid for her groceries.
She added that after walking outside the store, she received a call from her husband asking her to meet him at a nearby McDonald’s restaurant, the report states, adding that she thought he was getting something to eat even though she had just purchased snacks.
Deputies searched Christina Allen’s SUV and the house, where they found a small knife commonly carried by Charles Allen and the shirt he was wearing during the trip to Publix, the report says, adding that the loss prevention manager had told deputies that he saw Charles Allen threaten the manager with a small knife, not keys.
Charles Allen admitted to being at the Publix store and claimed to have purchased items from the pharmacy. He also said he had a watermelon in his cart.
Charles Allen told deputies that after bypassing the cash registers he was only looking for his wife so he could pay for his items, the report says. He denied having a knife but said he had a set of keys during the incident.
Charles Allen was charged with petit theft, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and resisting arrest/recovery of property. He was booked into the Marion County Jail and held on $4,000 bond.
