A homeless man, who was caught concealing fishing line and a flashlight then walking out of a store without paying for them, was arrested last Thursday. The man was cooperative when stopped and allegedly said he’d been having a hard time getting by.

Anthony Charles Clark, 45, homeless, was arrested by Officer Caleb Walker of the Linton Police Department last Thursday, January 27.

Officer Walker responded, along with LPD Lt. Bobby Pierce, to the Linton Walmart store around 4:45 p.m. last Thursday when one of the store’s asset protection associates reported they had stopped Clark for shoplifting.

In a later statement, an asset protection associate said he was walking the sales floor when he saw the suspect in the sporting goods section selecting a spool of Power Pro fishing line, one Fishin’ Stix, and one Hyper Tough rechargeable flashlight which he then concealed in his jacket before heading to the exit doors without paying for the items. When the suspect was stopped in the vestibule area, he allegedly admitted taking the items and the Linton Police Department was contacted.

Officer Walker reported that when he talked to Clark, Clark said he’d been struggling to get by and that’s why he took the items. He said he was “between houses” and it gets cold.

The total amount of the items was $45.74.

Clark had been previously trespassed from a different Walmart store but the trespassing order included all Walmart properties. Clark was aware he’d signed a paper that said he couldn’t come back to Walmart and that he was trying to to go to a Walmart where he wasn’t known.

Clark was booked into the Greene County Jail at 5:41 p.m. with bond set at $2,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. As of late Monday night, he had not yet posted bond and was still in jail.

The date of his initial hearing is not known but he’s facing a charge of theft, a Class A misdemeanor.