Man on pre-trial release arrested for stealing elderly woman’s purse in Publix parking lot

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Darnell Lorenzo Teate, 55, was arrested last night after allegedly stealing a purse from an elderly woman in a Publix parking lot.

At about 8:26 p.m. on August 17, a Gainesville Police Department officer responded to a trespassing call at the Publix at 1302 N. Main Street, and a Publix manager flagged down the officer, saying he saw Teate steal a purse.

The manager reportedly told the officer that Teate had been inside the store and had followed the victim, an elderly woman riding a mobility shopping cart, around the store. He said Teate followed the victim out of the store and waited until she was at her vehicle to reach into her shopping basket and take her purse. The manager showed the officer surveillance video that reportedly showed Teate following the victim and taking her purse.

The officer found Teate walking eastbound on NE 23rd Avenue and spoke to him; Teate reportedly said he had been at Burger King and the Circle K but denied being at Publix, although the officer noted that this was a “provable lie.”

The officer noted that Teate kept grabbing his pocket, and he asked for the items in that pocket; Teate pulled out a lighter, but the officer said there was still something in his pocket. When Teate turned his pocket inside out, the officer saw a baggie of jewelry, which Teate reportedly said were his religious items.

A search incident to arrest reportedly produced items stolen from the victim.

Post Miranda, Teate reportedly admitted to stealing the purse because he “just wanted to get high,” but he said he wouldn’t tell the officer where he dumped it unless the charges were dropped. He eventually said he had put the purse in a bathroom at the Circle K, and the purse was found there, along with surveillance video that reportedly showed Teate entering the bathroom with the purse.

A second search reportedly produced a baggie containing about 0.4 mg of methamphetamine in Teate’s sock.

The officer also reported finding a stolen driver’s license from a different victim.

Teate has been charged with felony petit theft, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and unlawful possession of another person’s identification card. He has 12 felony convictions (one violent) and seven misdemeanor convictions (one violent) and has served two state prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2014. He was arrested in January for shoplifting and unlawful possession of another person’s identification card and later released on bail; he is also facing a sworn complaint for allegedly stealing shoes from the Nike store in July. Judge William Davis set bail on the new charges at $75,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.