A 35-year-old Ocala woman was arrested after she allegedly stole over $157 worth of items from a local Dollar General.
On Thursday, January 27, Marion County Sheriff’s Office units responded to the Dollar General located at 401 NE 58th Avenue in Ocala in reference to a theft in progress.
According to a store employee, a woman later identified as Michelle Nicole Keenan was observed taking items off the shelf and placing them into bags. When the employee asked to look inside the bags, Keenan ran out of the store without paying for the items.
An MCSO corporal spotted a woman who matched Keenan’s description near the corner of NE 56th Court and NE 3rd Place. The corporal watched as the woman entered the screened-in porch of a nearby residence.
The corporal approached the woman, and she initially stated that she was “Michelle Nicole Morton.” When no record was found for that name, she admitted that her name was Michelle Nicole Keenan.
Keenan told the corporal that she thought the items were paid for and claimed that she did not steal anything. She also mentioned that the residence she was located at belonged to a friend.
The corporal spoke with the male owner of that residence who stated that he did not know Keenan. He told the corporal that he found the following items on his front porch which did not belong to him: a blue and white tote bag full of items, a black and pink duffel bag with polka dots, and a cellphone.
Keenan confirmed that the cellphone found at the residence belonged to her.
During a search of the bags, the unpaid items were recovered, and it was determined that the duffel bag had also been taken from the store. According to the MCSO report, the total value of the items was $157.85.
The corporal ran a criminal history search on Keenan and discovered that she had four prior theft convictions between 2016 and 2021.
Keenan was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where she is currently being held on $5,000 bond. She is facing a felony charge for petit theft (third subsequent offense) along with a misdemeanor charge for giving a false name to a law enforcement officer.
A court date has been scheduled on Monday, February 21 at 8:30 a.m., according to jail records.