DeLand, FL – A DeLand man tells investigators he robbed a drug store because he was looking to buy crack cocaine.
John J. Centimole was arrested by the DeLand Police Department around 3:30am Tuesday after a Volusia County Sheriff’s Office deputy found him at a known drug house on South Florida Avenue.
According to the arrest report, Centimole took cash from a CVS Pharmacy on North Woodland Boulevard an hour earlier and smoked all the crack he bought with that stolen money.
A CVS worker called 911 for help around 2:30am, saying that a white man wearing black clothing came up to her register and ordered her to give him all the money.
The clerk told DeLand PD the suspect – later identified by her as Centimole – had one of his hands on his chest as if he had a weapon.
A store manager claimed the suspect got away with around $150 and was last seen heading south towards East Plymouth Avenue.
It was a few minutes after that when a VCSO deputy spotted Centimole at a home on the 900 block of South Florida Avenue and felt that he matched the description of the suspect in the CVS robbery, taking him into custody at that point.
When questioned, Centimole told DeLand PD that he had stopped smoking crack for a while but relapsed, leading him to rob the store for money to buy crack.
The arrest report showed that Centimole admitted to spent around $60 for crack that night and smoked all of it before he was found by the deputy.
The 22-year-old also admitted that he was at the home on South Florida Avenue to buy more crack when the deputy spotted him, per the report.
The deputy noted in his report that he say Centimole drop a glass pipe to the ground when the deputy called out to him. That pipe had crack residue in it, per the report.
Police also found around $100 in cash on Centimole’s person, money that they believe he had taken from the CVS.
As of 4pm Wednesday, Centimole is still in custody at Volusia County Jail on $11,000 bond. He’s charged with robbery and drug paraphernalia possession.
John J. Centimole (mugshot courtesy VCJ)
Copyright 2015 Southern Stone Communications.