Polk County Sheriff’s Office detectives are asking for the public’s help in a retail theft investigation.

At approximately 7:17 p.m., on Tuesday December 19, 2017, an unknown black male took merchandise off of the shelf at the E-Z Food Mart located at 4009 Knights Station Road in Lakeland.

He walked up to the cashier and requested the price for the item. After he was advised how much the item was, he grabbed the merchandise, and fled on foot in an unknown direction.

Anyone with information about this investigation is urged to contact Detective J. Leblanc at (863) 577-1600, or 863.298.6200.