Florida thief wanted in multiple counties arrested after being caught with $470 in steaks, deputies say | FOX 51 Gainesville
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Florida thief wanted in multiple counties arrested after being caught with $470 in steaks, deputies say

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Published  May 29, 2025 3:02pm EDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 35 Orlando

The Brief

    • A Florida thief wanted in multiple counties has been arrested.
    • Polk County deputies recently caught the man with $107 worth of stolen Gatorade and about $470 worth of stolen steaks.
    • Investigators say the man has an extensive history of retail theft, and he has been to prison four times previously. 

POLK COUNTY, Fla. - A Florida thief wanted in multiple counties has been arrested after deputies say they caught him with $470 in stolen steaks.

What happened?

What we know:

Detectives with the Polk County Sheriff's Office Organized Retail Theft Unit say they caught up with 47-year-old Kenneth DeShawn Bailey after he visited a Winn-Dixie store on Havendale Boulevard and stole $107 worth of Gatorade.

Investigators stopped the car Bailey was in and arrested him on Wednesday. 

After a quick search, deputies say they also recovered about $470 worth of steaks that he stole from the Publix store just a few blocks away.

Kenneth DeShawn Bailey, 47, was arrested on theft charges on Wednesday. (Credit: Polk County Sheriff's Office)

‘A really bad habit’ 

The backstory:

Investigators say Bailey has "a really bad habit of stealing throughout the county."

He had active felony warrants for thefts from Rural King in Lakeland and Publix in Lake Wales.

In addition, several other counties have warrants for Bailey's arrest, including Manatee, Marion, Hernando and Hillsborough. Each of the arrest warrants is related to theft charges.

Prior to these warrants, Bailey had an extensive history of retail theft, and he had been to prison four times previously. 

What's next:

Bailey is now sitting in the Polk County Jail.

However, due to the large number of arrest warrants in different counties, authorities say Bailey may be transferred.

What we don't know:

It is currently unclear why Bailey allegedly stole the specific items of Gatorade and steaks. Deputies have not yet released an estimate of the total amount of damage Bailey has incurred from all the alleged thefts combined. 

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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Polk County Sheriff's Office in a post on X on May 29, 2025. 

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