A Gainesville man, recently released from prison, was in jail Saturday accused of stealing almost $2,600 in scratch-off lottery tickets and tobacco products from a Winn-Dixie store, authorities said.
Police said Ivey Lee Hawkins was zapped with a Taser during his arrest on Thursday, the Gainesville Sun reported. Hawkins was in jail on Saturday on $80,000 bail, and he faces charges including burglary of a dwelling and grand theft, a jail official said.
The stolen items, along with a sledgehammer, were found inside a container, which Hawkins got rid of while being pursued by authorities, the arrest report said.
Authorities said he used the sledgehammer to get into the store, setting off the alarm. Surveillance video recorded a mask-wearing man taking the items.
The mask and additional lottery tickets were found, authorities said.
The tickets were worth $2,599, the tobacco products were $843 and the damage to the door was $1,000, the newspaper reported.
The Gainesville Sun reported that Hawkins had been in prison several times and his most recent release was six weeks ago.
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It wasn't immediately known if he had an attorney.
