A 37-year-old Silver Springs woman was arrested after she stole over $380 worth of merchandise from a Walmart in southwest Ocala.
On Tuesday, February 15, an Ocala Police Department officer responded to the Walmart located at 2600 SW 19th Avenue in reference to a shoplifting that was in progress.
Upon arrival, an employee with the store’s loss prevention department stated that a woman, later identified as Michelle Dawn Miles, was observed placing multiple items into her purse.
The officer observed the store’s surveillance footage and saw Miles place items into her purse. Miles also removed the price tag from a green sweatshirt and placed it on top of her purse.
On the surveillance cameras, the officer continued to watch as Miles pushed a cart throughout the store. Several blue plastic bins were inside the cart, and the officer observed Miles as she placed additional items inside one of the bins.
Miles approached the self-checkout area and began to scan some of the items. She asked for a store employee to void several items from the transaction. As soon as the employee walked away, Miles was seen on the surveillance footage placing numerous items into a shopping bag without paying for them.
Once the transaction was completed, Miles went to a separate self-checkout register and paid for one of the two plastic bins that she had inside her shopping cart.
When Miles attempted to leave the store with the unpaid items, the officer approached her, and she was escorted to the loss prevention office. She told the officer that she would pay for all the merchandise.
Miles stated that she was waiting for her check to clear in the bank, and she claimed to have been rushed by a man who was allegedly waiting for her in the parking lot.
The officer searched Miles’ purse and located multiple unpaid items. Inside a glasses case, the officer located two glass pipes that contained a white residue.
A black baggie was found inside the purse. The baggie contained additional empty baggies which had a residue inside and a baggie that was filled with a crystal-like substance. Multiple blue straws, approximately two inches in length, were next to the baggies.
The crystal-like substance field-tested positive for the presence of amphetamine.
Miles was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail. The total value of the stolen items was $381.76. She is currently being held on $15,000 bond and is facing felony charges for second degree petit theft (third subsequent offense) and possession of amphetamine along with a misdemeanor charge for possession of drug paraphernalia.
A court date has been scheduled on Tuesday, March 22 at 9 a.m., according to jail records.