An Ocala woman was identified by her fingerprints after giving authorities a false name and showing a photocopy of a bogus ID card while she was being arrested on theft charges at Wal-Mart.
Nakeesha Dale Vascovich, 36, of 9323 Pine Lane was charged with petit theft (second offense), giving a false ID to law enforcement and possession of a counterfeit driver’s license or ID card. She was arrested on the night of Dec. 19 after trying to flee from the store, located at 34 Bahia Ave.
A security employee at the store told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy he was monitoring the self-checkout while using an electronic journal that logs the scanned items in real time. He said Vascovich started scanning larger items that included multiple DVDs and clothing, but the items were showing up in the journal as 24-cent packs of Kool-Aid, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The employee said Vascovich was holding a small item in her right hand and covering the UPC codes on the larger items. The value of the items improperly scanned was $280. The employee followed Vascovich until she passed all points of sale and then identified himself and started walking her to the loss-prevention office, where she eventually fled on foot, the report said.
Armed with a description of the suspect, a deputy caught Vascovich at the intersection of Midway and Hemlock roads and placed her in her patrol vehicle. The store manager positively identified Vascovich as the woman he observed stealing the items, according to the report.
Vascovich told the deputy her name was Tiffany Gail Jackson and provided a laminated card with a photocopy of a North Carolina identification card with that name on it. She admitted to using the Kool-Aid pack while scanning items that her food stamp card didn’t cover, the report said.
Vascovich was taken to the Marion County Jail, where her fingerprints revealed her true identity. The deputy found a recent photograph that confirmed it. Vascovich again said her name was Tiffany Jackson and that it must have been her twin using her information. After being told she needed to be honest or she could face other charges, Vascovich confessed to providing a false ID and name, according to the report.
Vascovich, who has 10 prior arrests dating back to 2006, is being held without bond and is scheduled to appear in Marion County Court on Jan. 21.