Boca Raton man Allen Lay tried to make off with $400 worth of food from Publix, police say

The loot would have made an extravagant Thanksgiving feast.

A 63-year-old Boca Raton man was arrested the day before Thanksgiving as he tried to make off with a bounty of stolen steak, lobster, champagne and shrimp from a Publix supermarket, Boca Raton police said.

Allen Lay tried to sneak out of the stsore at 1001 S. Federal Highway with the basket of groceries worth $424, a Boca Raton police arrest report said.

A store employee saw Lay as he strolled out of the store around 3 p.m. during the busy shopping day, police said. When officers arrived, he said he thought his girlfriend had paid for the items.

Surveillance video showed that Lay was alone in the store, police said.

He was arrested on a charge of grand theft and was booked at the Palm Beach County Jail. He was released two days later on a $5,000 bond.

At least five other people have been arrested in recent months for shoplifting at the same supermarket. The store's security guard watches for those who slip past the cashiers without paying.

On Sept. 3, Gary Jacobson wheeled a shopping cart packed with 42 beers, a carton of eggs and frozen peas, the arrest report said. The store security guard saw him leave with the $62 in groceries and called police.

Jacobson, 57, of Boynton Beach, was arrested on a charge of petty theft.

Days later, on Sept. 15, the same guard saw a man help himself to a Natural Ice beer and a roast beef sandwich without paying. Larry Slaterline, 53, told police he was hungry and didn't have money for the $6.38 meal.

The officer searched Slaterline and found "more than enough" money on him to cover the cost, according to police. He was charged with retail theft and failing to appear in court in an unrelated case.

Two other men were arrested that month in similar cases, city records show.

Staff researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report.