The Marion County Sheriff’s Office arrested two women after an employee at a local Walmart accused them of stealing over $1,000 worth of merchandise.
On Thursday, an MCSO deputy and a deputy trainee responded to the Walmart located at 9570 SW Highway 200 in Ocala in reference to a theft incident that had just occurred. Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with a loss prevention associate who advised that 23-year-old Keaveona Natao’Peoples Beaucejour and 20-year-old Teeyana Rysha Mims had stolen multiple items, according to the arrest report.
The associate told the deputy that both suspects had failed to scan and pay for multiple items in their grocery cart while at the self-checkout register. In addition, the associate advised that the suspects had used the barcodes of lower priced items to cover the barcodes of more expensive items when scanning the merchandise, according to the associate’s statement in the MCSO report.
The deputy noted in the report that the store’s video surveillance footage from the time of the incident showed Beaucejour and Mims at the self-checkout register. During the transaction, the deputy watched as they failed to remove and scan several items from the shopping cart. Both suspects then walked past the remaining registers and headed towards the exit.
The total value of the stolen items was $876.26. The deputy noted in the report that Beaucejour’s debit card had been used for the transaction, and there was a total of nearly $1,700 worth of merchandise in the suspects’ shopping cart.
After separately being read their Miranda rights, Beaucejour and Mims both denied stealing the merchandise. Mims told the deputy that “it was possible some items were scanned under a different bar code by accident.” Beaucejour denied placing unscanned items into bags, though the MCSO report stated that she was observed bagging items in the shopping cart that were never removed for scanning.
While at the store, the loss prevention association informed the deputy that Beaucejour and Mims were also suspects in another theft that had occurred shortly before 11 p.m. on March 24, 2023. The deputy reviewed the store’s surveillance footage from the time of the prior theft incident and noted that both suspects were observed failing to scan multiple items at the self-checkout register.
Mims’ debit card had been used for the transaction on March 24, and the total loss for the store was $165.42, according to the MCSO report.
A criminal history search of Beaucejour and Mims revealed that they have no prior convictions.
Beaucejour and Mims were arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where they are currently being held on $3,000 bond. They are both facing a felony charge for grand theft (over $300 but less than $5,000) and a misdemeanor charge for first-degree petit theft (over $100 but less than $300).
A court date has been scheduled for Beaucejour and Mims at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, June 27, according to jail records.