Georgia man arrested for trying to steal flooring from Lowe’s

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jarious Walter Gardner, 28, was arrested yesterday and charged with grand theft after allegedly trying to steal flooring from Lowe’s. Gardner is reportedly a career offender who used to work for Lowe’s and is a suspect in similar cases in Florida and Georgia.

A Gainesville Police Department (GPD) officer responded to the Lowe’s at 2564 NW 13th Street yesterday at about 1:17 p.m., where the Loss Prevention Officer (LPO) said that Gardner selected champagne oak flooring valued at $1,738.50, put a “pick up later” sticker on it, and pushed it out of the store. The LPO reportedly detained Gardner outside the store and brought him back to the LPO office.

The LPO told the GPD officer that Gardner is a suspect in other cases in Lowe’s stores in Georgia and parts of Florida, including Gainesville and the panhandle. The LPO said that Gardner is a career offender who used to work for Lowe’s.

Post Miranda, Gardner reportedly said it “was just exactly how the [LPO] described.” To clarify, the officer asked if he had selected the flooring, put the sticker on it, and pushed it out of the store without paying, and Gardner reportedly said that he did.

Although Gardner has no charges listed in Alachua County court records, the officer listed eight incident reports from September 2021 in which Gardner was suspected of committing retail theft at both Gainesville Lowe’s stores, the northwest Walmart, and the Publix near University Avenue and 13th Street. All of the cases are still open.

According to court records, Gardner had only been in Gainesville for one day. He has three felony convictions (none violent) and two misdemeanor convictions (none violent). He has a criminal history in other states between 2014 and 2022. Judge Thomas Jaworski set bail at $10,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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