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Ocala
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Ocala woman accused of striking Dollar Store manager in outburst

Shirley Borden

A 60-year-old Ocala woman was arrested for allegedly pushing a store employee who wouldn’t allow her to return cigarettes.

Shirley Borden was charged with simple battery after the incident, which happened Thursday at the Dollar General store at 2167 E. Silver Springs Blvd.

The store’s assistant manager told an Ocala Police officer that Borden came into the store to return cigarettes, but company policy states that once a customer leaves a store with tobacco products, they are unable to exchange or return them. The assistant manager said when Borden was told this, she became irate and started yelling profanities and making threats to her and other employees, according to the police report.

The assistant manager said Borden exited and re-entered the store several times in an attempt to exchange or purchase new cigarettes, and she finally left when she didn’t have enough money to purchase new cigarettes, the report said.

The assistant manager said she had purchased items from the store while Borden was trying to purchase cigarettes, and she exited the store to give the items to someone in the parking lot. She said Borden turned around and got in her face, and then pushed her in the face before turning around and walking away. The assistant manager was not injured, according to the report.

Video surveillance footage showed Borden attempting to exchange and purchase cigarettes several times before leaving the store in an irate manner, and the assistant manager purchase an item in the store at the same time. The video showed the assistant manager exit the store approximately 10 feet behind Borden, the report said.

The video showed Borden turn around and walk up to the assistant manager and start yelling in her face and pointing at her. Borden then pushed the assistant manager backwards, but due to the camera angle, it wasn’t clear whether Borden pushed her in the face. The video then showed Borden turn around and walk away, according to the report.

Borden told the officer that she had tried to exchange and then purchase cigarettes. Once she realized she couldn’t get the correct cigarettes, she said she left the store yelling. Borden said the assistant manager followed her out of the store and got in her personal space. She admitted that she did push the assistant manager away from her, the report said.

Borden was taken to the Marion County Jail, where she was released later Thursday on $1,000 bond.