A man who has been arrested for shoplifting numerous times in Ruston this year was arrested twice within a matter of hours on the same day for the same offense.
Dontrell Williams, 35, formerly of Avondale now living in Ruston, was arrested Oct. 22 for shoplifting at 1:30 p.m. and 4:40 p.m. at the Neighborhood Walmart on West California Avenue.
Williams was previously barred from Walmart properties, making him eligible to be charged with criminal trespass each time he enters the premises.
Williams has been arrested at Walmart at least seven times this year. Many of those charges are still pending in court.
In the first incident last Wednesday, Williams was stopped by Ruston Police as he left the parking lot. William said the items were given to him, but Walmart management said he took the items and did not pay for them. When his backpack was searched, merchandise from Walgreens was also found. Williams was positively identified as taking those items without paying.
It was also determined that Williams was wanted on two arrest warrants for theft and criminal trespass from an Oct. 18 incident. He was booked for two counts of theft by shoplifting, criminal trespass, and the two warrants.
Later in the day, Walmart reported it had determined William had committed a theft of five items on Oct. 20. He could not be identified at that time but the earlier arrest on Oct. 22 provided positive identification in the Oct. 20 theft. He was booked on another count of theft.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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