Walmart Thief Arrested Again
Published May 24th, 2012
By: Yaremi Farinas
The arrest of one of the men for a brazen theft of tires led investigators to a treasure trove.
The man remains behind bars after detectives discovered stolen trailers and merchandise in his backyard.
Ocala resident Andrew Weinreich and three others were arrested last week for for stealing more than $6500 worth of tires from a Walmart in Marion County.
Yesterday detectives searched Weinreich's home after receiving a photo of a man stealing a trailer from Massey's Landscaping Company in Ocala.
"Looking at the photo I saw somebody who resembled a gentlemen I had just arrested for a bunch of thefts from a Walmart," said Marion County Sheriff's Office Detective Greg Spicher.
He told us video from a camera near Massey's shows a man pulling in to parking lot in a Ford expedition.
Minutes later the man is driving off with a trailer hooked to his car.
Spicher said he found out that Weinreich's dad Ralph has a car similar to the one in the video and that's the reason he and other detectives showed up at Andrews home yesterday.
"As we drove by the residence in the fifty hundred block of NE 14th avenue, in the back there is a privacy fence and we could see what looked like trailer tops," said Spicher.
That's exactly what they were. Four trailers lined up in the backyard.
"Once we got the search warrant we were able to get onto to the property," said Spicher.
Three trailers were empty and one was jam packed with stolen merchandise.
All the trailers were stolen from local companies.
Both father and son were arrested.
Detectives searched through this trailer and discovered 19 tires inside.
They also found a generator, a back pack blower and many other products.
They also found a generator, a back pack blower and many other products.
Detectives said not everything in the trailer was stolen.
"The suspect had advised some of it was personal property and anything that does not appear as though it's stolen we will release it to them," said Detective James Deas from the Ocala Police Department.
Two walmart employees came to pick up all the product. They told detectives that in the past couple weeks the toal value of product Weinreich is accussed of stealing is at least $10,000.
Since the arrest Ralph bonded out.
We stopped by the Weinreich house and asked Ralph for a comment, but he refused.
"We will continue the investigation and see if there is any more evidence that can be recovered in reference to this investigation and yes eventually they will go to trial," said Deas.
Ralph is charged with dealing in stolen property.
As for his son Andrew he is still in jail and faces six charges most of them are grand theft.
