LAKELAND, Fla. – A 47-year-old man has been arrested yet again after a body wash heist was reported late last month, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
In a release, deputies said the incident happened on June 29 at the Walgreens store along Lakeland Highlands Road.
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Upon arrival, deputies learned that three suspects had entered the store together, with one distracting the store clerk as the other two filled bags with several containers of body wash, the release states.
Afterward, the trio left the store together without paying for the stolen items, which were valued at nearly $650, investigators noted.
Upon a review of the surveillance footage, though, investigators said they recognized one of the “female” suspects as 47-year-old Gerald Cobbs due to his extensive history of previous arrests.
“Cobbs is known to dress as a female,” the release reads. “Further investigation revealed that Cobbs had recently been arrested by the Lakeland Police Department on an active warrant and was already being held in the Polk County Jail.”
As a result, Cobbs now faces an additional charge of petit theft with prior convictions, though detectives said they’re still trying to identify his two accomplices.
Per the sheriff’s office, Cobbs’ criminal history includes 27 felony convictions and 17 misdemeanor convictions, most of which are for theft offenses.
He’s already been incarcerated eight times, serving a combined total of over 11 years in state prison on non-consecutive terms, deputies added. He was most recently released from prison in October 2025.
“This suspect has made a career out of stealing, and despite spending more than 11 years in prison, he continues to victimize businesses in our community,” Sheriff Grady Judd said. “Our Organized Crime detectives recognized him almost immediately because they’ve dealt with him so many times before. If he would put as much effort into earning an honest living as he does into stealing, he wouldn’t keep ending up in jail.”