A 25-year-old woman was arrested by Ocala police after she was accused of stealing a wallet and using the victim’s credit cards to purchase over $500 worth of items at a local Walmart.
According to the Ocala Police Department report, the female victim contacted OPD to advise that her wallet had been stolen at the Marion County Courthouse on December 7, 2022. The victim stated that she had placed her wallet behind her back for support while sitting on a bench in front of a courtroom, and when she got up, she accidentally left the wallet behind.
When the victim returned to the bench, she noticed that her wallet was missing. She told OPD that her wallet contained approximately 10 credit cards, a permanent resident card, and a birth certificate.
The victim told OPD that a young black pregnant woman was also at the courthouse around the time of the theft, in close proximity to the victim. In the OPD report, an officer noted that the victim believed the pregnant female may have taken the wallet.
On December 9, 2022, the victim contacted OPD to advise that several unauthorized transactions had occurred earlier in the day at the Walmart located at 2600 SW 19th Avenue Road in Ocala. The victim advised that she went to the store and spoke with several witnesses who recalled seeing a young black pregnant woman who completed several transactions at different registers.
Three of the victim’s credit cards had been used at the store on December 9, and those fraudulent transactions totaled $509, according to the OPD report.
On December 15, 2022, an OPD officer was assigned to the theft case. The officer responded to the Walmart location and made contact with a loss prevention employee who found the fraudulent transactions involving the victim’s credit cards.
The officer watched the store’s video surveillance footage from the time of the transactions and observed a young black woman who appeared to be pregnant. In the OPD report, the officer noted that the pregnant female attempted to make several refunds after completing the transactions, though the store’s employees advised that the money could only be put back on the credit cards.
The female suspect was then observed leaving the store with a cart full of items and a store associate followed her while pushing a child’s bicycle. She then left the parking lot in a red pickup truck, though the officer was unable to read the license plate.
The OPD report stated that the victim later recalled that the pregnant female suspect had been in court on December 7 for a petit theft case. Through investigative techniques, the officer was able to identify the suspect as Johnisha Le’andria Tinarra Mckay.
The officer contacted the Marion County Courthouse and confirmed that Mckay had been in court on the day of the theft.
An OPD officer arrived at Mckay’s residence on NW 44th Place in Ocala and was advised by a relative that Mckay was at a local hospital because she had recently given birth. The officer responded to the hospital and made contact with Mckay.
After being read her Miranda rights, Mckay admitted that she was in court on the day of the theft. When asked about the fraudulent transactions at Walmart, Mckay admitted that she had picked up the victim’s wallet from the bench outside the courtroom, which contained “10 to 15” credit cards belonging to the victim.
Mckay told the officer that she no longer had the victim’s wallet because she threw it in a trash can outside her residence.
Mckay was arrested on January 3, 2023, and she was transported to Marion County Jail. She was later released on $5,000 bond, and she is facing felony charges for fraudulent use of credit cards and criminal use of personal identification.
Additionally, Mckay is facing misdemeanor charges for credit card larceny and petit theft (over $100 but less than $750).
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.