Theft suspects ‘needed to return items’ but had car race off, claiming they'd ‘gotten into a fight’

By LENNY COHEN

MOUNT DORA, Fla. (CohenConnect) – A couple of repeat offenders are back behind bars after an adventure with a neighbor that started at a home improvement store.

“An asset protection agent for Lowe’s” told police in Florida “two individuals had attempted to steal merchandise” and “had left the parking lot in a black Dodge Charger” on the morning of Monday, Sept. 2.

Officers pulled the car over and according to the arrest report, “[The driver] stated that he had given his neighbors a ride to Lowe’s and they told him they needed to return items.

“[The driver] gave them a ride and after they had entered the building, a few minutes later, [the driver] said that they ran to the car and told him to leave as they had gotten into a fight.

“[The driver] left the parking lot,” but while he was at a traffic light, “his neighbors had jumped out of the vehicle and ran toward” a grocery store.

While the driver — who was not arrested — was telling his story, word came another officer “had located two individuals matching the description given” by the Lowe’s employee.

According to the employee’s statement, the suspects “entered the store with an empty shopping cart at 11:10 a.m. and made their way towards the tool department and selected one DeWalt LED battery-operated light stand, two DeWalt 1000 lumen LED flashlights, and one DeWalt LED flashlight for a total of $561.98.”

Then, two minutes later, they “left the tool department and entered the millwork department, and began concealing three small flashlights into a backpack the subjects were carrying.”

And, three minutes after that, they “left through the lumber exit, passing all points of sale.”

That’s when two employees “identified themselves and attempted to stop the subjects.

“The subjects immediately tried to resist the asset protection agents and flee with the items; however, all items were recovered by the agents and the subjects left the property.”

Skylar Smith, top, was arrested 6 times since 2021. Sean Summerlin served 3 sentences in state prison, and had 3 fairly recent arrests.Photo by(Lake Co. Sheriff’s Office | Fla. Dept. of Corrections)

The officer took the statement and surveillance video, and went to where the other officer had identified the suspects as Sean Justin Summerlin and Skylar Blair Smith.

“I searched the black backpack that Smith was carrying when she was detained,” the officer wrote, “and found a small multi-colored cloth bag with a can of mace attached, that contained small glass pipes, cut straws, and small plastic baggies that had trace amounts of a white powdery substance inside them.

“The white powdery substance field-tested positive for fentanyl and the glass pipes field-tested positive for methamphetamine,” the officer reported.

“Due to there being trace amounts, there is no weight for the substances.”

Finally, authorities ran criminal histories. Smith was found to have “one prior conviction for theft,” while Summerlin had four convictions.

Sean Justin Summerlin served 3 stints in state prison (from left). He was arrested twice in 2022 and again Sept. 2, 2024. Details below.Photo by(Fla. Dept. of Corrections | Lake Co. Sheriff’s Office)

Summerlin’s long criminal history includes three stays in state prison: two-and-a-half years starting in 2007, seven-and-a-half years starting in 2012, and three years starting in 2021.

In July 2020, he was arrested for possession of methamphetamine, possession of a concealed weapon, burglary, theft, and resisting.

A month after that, he was booked for larceny-third or subsequent offense and eight other charges.

This time, Summerlin, 39, was charged with two counts of retail theft-third or subsequent offense and resisting a merchant. His bail was set at $10,000.

Skylar Blair Smith was arrested (from left) once in 2021 and 2022, three times in 2023, and again Sept. 2, 2024. Details below.Photo by(Lake Co. Sheriff’s Office)

The first of Smith’s six arrests was for possession of alprazolam in 2021. The next year, she was charged with a probation violation.

Smith, 22, was arrested three times in 2023: in August for possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting without violence; in November for failure to appear on the resisting charge; and in December for possession of drugs without a prescription, possession of drug paraphernalia, theft, and trespassing.

This time, she was charged with retail theft-second or subsequent offense, resisting a merchant, and possession of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia. Her bail was set at $8,000.

Neither Summerlin nor Smith paid their bail, so neither has been released from jail.

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