Anthony Santangelo, 48, was booked at Lake County Jail on Saturday on a Marion County warrant charging him with retail theft and released after posting $500 bond, Villages-News.com reported. The charge is an allegation, not a finding of guilt.
The warrant arrest comes while Santangelo is also out on bond in a separate case stemming from an Oct. 18 incident in Villa Valdosta. An earlier Villages-News.com report said a 66-year-old resident was taken to hospital after his calf was allegedly cut with a broken wine bottle. It reported that Santangelo faced felony charges of simple assault and aggravated battery and had been held on $16,000 bond.
Neighbors have also alleged that Santangelo drove through Belle Aire and entered a 500-foot protective zone associated with the October case, according to the outlet’s account. That reported account presents the drive as a neighbors’ allegation; it does not establish that a court found a violation.
A separate Marion County theft case offers limited context
Retail-theft allegations have also led to arrests in Marion County in a separate case. WCJB reported that deputies responded on Feb. 10, 2025, to a theft at the Walmart on South U.S. Highway 441; two suspects were accused of leaving without paying, and the incident led to a vehicle chase. The suspects and circumstances in that report are distinct from Santangelo’s case, so it provides an example—not evidence of a broader trend or a connection to his warrant.
