Grace McAlister
Reporter1@riverbendnews.org
On Thursday, Feb. 2, at 5:23 p.m., the Lake City Police Department (LCPD) responded to Murphy USA, located at 2659 W US Hwy 90, in Lake City, regarding a vehicle burglary.
According to a Facebook post made by the LCPD, officers arrived and spoke to the victim, who reported that their cell phone was stolen from their vehicle while inside the store. Officers reviewed security footage from the store and confirmed someone reached into the victim's vehicle while it was unattended. Officers then obtained descriptions of the suspect and his vehicle.
The post states, at approximately 6:15 p.m. the same day, while LCPD officers were on a routine patrol, they observed a vehicle that matched the one in the security footage parked at S&S #42. Additionally, officers spotted a white male, matching the provided description, exit the vehicle from the driver's seat and walk towards the store. Officers immediately contacted the man, later identified as 49-year-old McAlpin resident Thomas Edward Smith, a convicted felon on felony probation. As officers attempted to detain Smith, he tried to flee the scene on foot. Smith was placed in handcuffs and placed in the rear of a patrol vehicle.
Deputies then searched Smith's vehicle. During the search, the cell phone in a blue case taken from the victim at Murphy USA earlier in the day was located on the passenger seat. Officers also recovered a camo Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun, an SN Romarn 7.62 AK-47, a Steven model 62 semi-auto .22 cal., a Mosin Nagant M91 bolt action 7.62 rifle, a milk crate full of ammunition, military gear, a green military ammunition can filled with several different caliber ammunition, a plastic bag containing miscellaneous rifle parts, a prescription bottle containing gabapentin 600 mg pills and 18 orange pills stamped with "N8" which were later identified as Suboxone.
Smith was transported to the Columbia County Jail and is being charged with burglary of a conveyance, petit theft third or subsequent conviction, possession of a firearm or ammo by a convicted felon, possession of a controlled substance, possession of prescription medication without a prescription, resisting officer without violence, possession of drug paraphernalia and violation of probation.