October 27, 2024
Jerry Michael Lay Jr., 52, who has become known for a series of golf cart thefts across The Villages, avoided prison time once again following his most recent sentencing. Lay, who had been residing in a rental unit within the San Leandro Villas, has a lengthy history involving the theft of golf carts in Florida’s most well-known retirement community.
In his latest sentencing in Sumter County, Lay received “time served” after being caught stealing golf carts at popular spots in Lake Sumter Landing, including a Barnes & Noble and an Enterprise Rental location. Shortly after this, Lay was transferred to Lake County Jail, where he’s now facing additional charges connected to a golf cart theft from a bowling alley at Spanish Springs that took place last year.
Local law enforcement has tracked Lay’s activities over the years, using surveillance cameras positioned throughout The Villages. Recently, officers identified Lay from footage at the scenes of the golf cart thefts, leading to his latest round of arrests. In 2019, Lay also served 210 days in jail after being charged with stealing a golf cart from a hotel in Spanish Springs. This followed an 18-month prison sentence in 2018 related to motor vehicle theft. Lay’s record dates back decades to his first arrest in 1988 in Broward County, also for vehicle theft.
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