LEESBURG, Fla. — A Leesburg man, 34-year-old Joshua Dominique Avant, was arrested last week on a warrant for vehicle theft that occurred in 2021. The theft took place on May 30, 2021, when Avant was a passenger in a 2011 Nissan Rogue driven by a female victim.
According to a probable cause affidavit from Lake County, the victim had left her car running outside a building at 10402 U.S. Hwy. 441, with Avant still inside. Despite telling him not to drive her vehicle, she went inside the building, only to return and find the car missing.
The victim unsuccessfully tried to contact Avant before notifying the Leesburg Police Department. Later that evening, Avant called the victim, stating he had taken the car to run errands but had been arrested. He told her that the vehicle could be found in Sumter County, near the site of his arrest. However, the victim was unable to locate the car.
Investigators later found no vehicle matching the description at the arrest site, and Avant had a history of previous convictions for grand theft, including another vehicle theft. Avant was arrested at Taylor Correctional Institution on November 24, 2024, and was transported to Lake County Jail. His bond was set at $2,000.
