A 43-year-old woman was arrested at a Walmart in Ocala after she was accused of making a fraudulent return and stealing over $140 worth of merchandise.
On Sunday, February 12, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to the Walmart located at 9570 SW Highway 200 in Ocala in reference to a retail theft incident. Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with a loss prevention employee who advised that Christina Lynn Jackson had entered the store and taken four cases of pet food from the shelf, according to the MCSO report.
According to the employee, Jackson took the pet food to the customer service desk and produced a receipt for a previous transaction that had occurred on Friday, February 10. The employee told the deputy that the receipt did not belong to Jackson.
In the MCSO report, the deputy noted that Jackson was issued a refund for the pet food in the amount of $111.19. After receiving the refund, the employee advised that Jackson proceeded to the self-checkout register where she failed to scan several grocery, bedding, and cleaning items totaling $145.94.
The employee advised that Jackson placed the merchandise directly into bags without attempting to scan the barcodes, and then she walked past all points of sale with the unpaid items. The MCSO report stated that the total loss for the store, which included the stolen merchandise and the fraudulent return, was $257.13.
Jackson was apprehended by the loss prevention employee until law enforcement arrived on scene. The deputy observed the store’s video surveillance footage from the time of the incident and noted in the report that it was consistent with the employee’s statements.
While inside the loss prevention office, the employee informed the deputy that Jackson had been trespassed from the store due to a prior incident of theft. Jackson was also in the office and admitted that she had been told “a few years ago” that she was not allowed to return to the store.
After being read her Miranda rights, Jackson did not want to discuss the incident.
A criminal background check of Jackson revealed that she was previously convicted of petit theft in 2014 (Marion County) and 2019 (Citrus County).
Jackson was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where she is currently being held on $7,500 bond. She is facing a felony charge for second degree petit theft (third or subsequent offense) and a misdemeanor charge for trespassing.
A court date has been scheduled at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, March 14, according to jail records.