POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A 47-year-old Bartow man with a long history of theft-related offenses is back behind bars after Polk County Sheriff’s Office detectives caught him in the act yet again. Kenneth DeShawn Bailey was arrested on Wednesday and faces a slew of new charges, in addition to outstanding warrants from Polk and several other Florida counties.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), Bailey has developed a reputation for persistent stealing throughout the county. At the time of his latest arrest, he had active felony warrants for thefts from a Rural King in Lakeland and a Publix in Lake Wales.
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On Wednesday, detectives from the PCSO’s Organized Retail Theft Unit located Bailey at the Winn-Dixie store on Havendale Boulevard in Auburndale.
Investigators say they saw Bailey stealing $107 worth of Gatorade from the store.
When detectives stopped the vehicle Bailey was traveling in, they discovered an additional trove of stolen goods – approximately $470 worth of steaks, which they determined he had just stolen from the Publix store located a few blocks away.
Kenneth Bailey is no stranger to law enforcement. He has an extensive history of retail theft and has been sentenced to prison on four prior occasions for similar crimes, according to deputies.
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Currently, Bailey is incarcerated at the Polk County Jail.
However, his legal troubles extend far beyond Polk County. Authorities have confirmed that Bailey is also a wanted man in Manatee County, Marion County, Hernando County, and Hillsborough County, with each jurisdiction holding active warrants for his arrest, all related to theft charges.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office noted Bailey’s extensive reach, quipping, “We don’t know who will get him next; maybe they’ll spin a wheel or draw straws.”
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