2 men arrested for stealing from Charlotte County Walmarts, deputies say

Two Charlotte County men were arrested for stealing from two separate Walmart stores in a similar fashion.

Deputies say Brian Diebold, 40, of Englewood, went to the Walmart on South McCall Road on June 12, took a Shark vacuum cleaner from its box and put it into a large blue cooler he took from the sporting goods section. He also pulled the tag off a gray Under Armour ballcap and placed it on his head before checking out and paying for some items. He concealed the cooler, which contained the vacuum cleaner, from the cashier’s view and exited the building, passing all other points of sale.

Diebold was identified via surveillance footage, contacted and agreed to meet with deputies, who found a cooler and a gray Under Armour hat inside the work vehicle Diebold arrived in. An American flag lanyard, worn by the suspect in the video, was also found in the vehicle. The vacuum, however, was not.

Diebold is facing a charge of petit theft and has since been released from jail on $2,500 bond.

Two weeks later, on June 26, a man entered the Walmart in Murdock Circle and placed a red cooler in his cart. The man, later identified as Johnathan Hartman, 33, who is homeless, according to CCSO, is seen on security video collecting and concealing numerous items inside the cooler as he made his way around the store. He also placed a fan in the cart and exited through the Garden Center, passing all points of sale.

After leaving with the items, Hartman walked back to the Garden Center empty-handed, where he was taken into custody by a CCSO deputy. A subsequent search of his person revealed a glass pipe in his pocket with white residue, which tested positive for methamphetamine. The red cooler was located across the street in the Target truck-loading area with the stolen items inside, deputies said.

Hartman’s criminal history revealed five separate incidents of previous theft, CCSO said. He is facing charges of petit theft and possession of drug paraphernalia and remains in the Charlotte County Jail with bail set at $5,000.