An Ocala woman was arrested Wednesday after she allegedly tried to walk out the garden center door at a local Walmart without paying for nearly $500 in merchandise.
Erin Colleen Janice Sherlock, 30, was charged with larceny/grand theft (retail) of between $300 and $5,000. She was arrested at the store, located at 2600 SW 19th Avenue Road, shortly before 8 p.m.
Two loss-prevention agents told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy they began surveilling Sherlock when one of them noticed her acting suspiciously in the hardware aisle. The agents observed Sherlock concealing merchandise in frozen grocery bag. She also had groceries that were not in bags, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The agents then watched as Sherlock headed to the garden center and towards the exit, where she passed all points of sale without paying for the merchandise. An agent detained Sherlock and escorted her to the loss-prevention office with the unpaid for merchandise and the sheriff’s department was notified, the report said.
When asked why she stole the items, Sherlock told the deputy she had lost her job in March and had no money for food. The 135 items in Sherlock’s cart were valued at $494.69, according to the report.
Sherlock was taken to the Marion County Jail, where she was still being held Saturday on $2,000 bond. She’s scheduled to appear in Marion County Court on Sept. 17.