Bond was set at $5,000 for a homeless man arrested following a call for retail theft.
37-year-old Lucas W. Mizell made a video appearance in Knox County Circuit Court Thursday afternoon on a Class 2 felony count of burglary.
Judge Raymond A. Cavanaugh set bond and appointed a public defender for Mizell, who according to court records is from Lawton, Oklahoma.
According to police reports officers were dispatched to Walmart at 659 Knox Square Drive for a call of retail theft. Officers were informed that a white male with shaggy blonde hair in a black t-shirt, jeans, and black baseball cap had fled on foot and was last seen in the Menards parking lot.
A K-9 unit helped locate Mizell, who was found in a lightly wooded area behind Menards in what was indicated in reports to be the early stages of a shelter.
Several items were found in the area including baby wipes, beer, batteries, and clothing. Mizell allegedly admitted to going to Walmart with the intent of stealing items. He told police he had been homeless for the last 10 years but had only been in Galesburg for two or three days.
He denied ownership of all the items found in the woods behind Menards. He allegedly claimed that because he left behind a backpack containing the items he attempted to steal that he should not be charged with theft.
It was noted that Mizell had two previous convictions of Larceny and had several reported instances of theft from Walmart stores. By his own alleged admission he had been banned from Walmart stores.
Other charges filed against him include misdemeanors of retail theft and criminal trespass to land.
A preliminary hearing for Mizell is scheduled for August 14th.
