Officers from the Covington Police Department were called to Food Depot Saturday evening after a man ran off with almost $50 worth of merchandise.

According to reports, 36-year-old Daryle Rowell left the store without paying for a carton of Newport cigarettes, a can of Cheez-Wiz and a 12-pack of Bud Light beer. Store employees tried to stop him and he reportedly dropped the beer, but managed to hop into a silver van, driven by another male, which sped off.

While the officers spoke with managers at Food Deport, they received a call from the Oxford Police Department saying they had stopped a van matching the description and plate number of the one seen leaving the store with the stolen cheese product and cigarettes.

The driver of the van reportedly told officers where he had dropped Rowell off. When they arrived at that residence, they knocked on the door. After a few moments a woman answered the door. When asked about Rowell, she told them she thought he was hiding in the closet and allegedly allowed officers inside the home to check.

Rowell was found hiding behind a door in the master bedroom, according to the report. He was taken into custody and transported back to Food Depot so that managers could positively identify him as the thief.
While en route to the store, Rowell reportedly began verbally assaulting the officers, allegedly saying all they were was "worthless police officers who probably had no more than a GED."

At the store, he reportedly attempted to shove his face between his knees to prevent identification, but the manager was able to identify him by the clothing Rowell was wearing.

Rowell once more began his "verbal tirade" to officers when they left the store and headed to the Newton County Detention Center. He also threatened to sue the officers because they had left his belongings at the residence when they had taken him into custody.

In the report, the officer said Rowell did all this "while using some very colorful language to describe me, my level of education as well as my personal life or lack of as he liked to describe it."

He was transported to the jail where he was charged with shoplifting. He also had several warrants for his arrest from a multitude of jurisdictions as well, according to reports.