NORTH MIAMI, Fla. – A man was arrested Tuesday, months after he stole dozens of bottles of wine from the loading dock area of a Publix in North Miami, authorities said.
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According to an arrest report obtained Thursday by Local 10, Lenny Cesar Gonzalez, 44, of North Miami, was arrested on charges of burglary of an occupied structure, grand theft and dealing in stolen property.
Police said the incident occurred over the course of multiple days in early March at the Publix located at 12800 Biscayne Blvd.
According to the arrest report, employees reviewed surveillance video which showed Gonzalez entering the rear loading dock, which is an employee only area, between March 8 and March 13.
Police said on March 8, Gonzalez was seen entering the loading dock area and stealing 10 totes full of items, including 31 bottles of Merlot red wine, nine Tailor Made red wine bottles and three Jack Peak wine bottles. The total value of the stolen wine was about $796.
According to the report, Gonzalez is a known shoplifter at several businesses in the area.
Police said prior to his arrest on Tuesday, he was involved in a verbal argument with a manager at another Publix, located at 12855 NE Sixth Ave.
He was taken into custody and brought to the North Miami Police Department for questioning.
Police said he provided some kind of admission, although his exact statement was redacted from the publicly released report.
“A records check of the defendant revealed multiple prior petit theft convictions,” the report stated.
As of Thursday morning, Gonzalez was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. His bond in online jail records was listed as “to be set.”