A new employee at a local 7-Eleven was arrested by Ocala police after the store accused her of stealing nearly $2,000 by processing fake donations to the Children’s Miracle Network and refunding them to herself.
On Wednesday, July 31, Ocala Police Department officers responded to the 7-Eleven located at 917 N Pine Avenue in Ocala in reference to a theft investigation. One of the store’s managers told the officers that a new employee, 22-year-old Kardazia Vontaya Savage, had stolen approximately $1,900 over the course of her month-long employment, according to the arrest report.
According to the manager, Savage was hired on June 28, 2024, and she began working at the location on N Pine Avenue in mid-July. Since her start date, she worked a total of 10 shifts at the store, and the manager noticed that money was stolen from the store during six of those shifts.
The report stated that 7-Eleven is partnered with the Children’s Miracle Network and accepts donations on their behalf via a barcode that can be scanned. While investigating the missing funds, the store’s managers discovered “an influx of donation amounts” had allegedly been entered into the system by Savage.
Upon further investigation, management observed that “large donations” were being documented “as if they were entered in error and refunded.” These amounts coincided with the store’s missing funds, and security footage allegedly showed that Savage was “running the register” at the time of these transactions, according to the report.
An OPD officer noted in the report that Savage can be seen on the surveillance footage “initiating donation transactions and manually entering specific amounts on the register screen.” After printing receipts for the “donations,” she allegedly removed cash from the register and placed it in a bag, which was then deposited into the store’s safe.
However, the report stated that while Savage was depositing the funds into the safe, she was allegedly observed on the footage placing one or more additional bags into her pocket, which contained money from the cash register. The manager told officers that Savage did this “to avoid suspicious as she was aware she was on camera.”
According to the report, the amount and dates of the fraudulent donations, which matched the cash shortages from the store, are as follows:
- July 23, 2024 – $140.
- July 24, 2024 – $160.
- July 25, 2024 – $300.
- July 27, 2024 – $304.
- July 28, 2024 – $400.
- July 29, 2024 – $600.
In addition, a manager informed officers that Savage allegedly attempted to input a donation in the amount of $1,000, but the system rejected it.
Savage was detained at the store and transported to OPD headquarters for an interview. After being read her Miranda rights, she claimed that she did not do anything wrong. When confronted about the fraudulent donations and the surveillance footage that allegedly showed her pocketing bags containing cash from the register, she stated that she “did not have any money,” according to the report.
Savage was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail, where she is currently being held without bond. She is being charged with grand theft and organized fraud. In addition, the report stated that she is currently on pre-trial release regarding a separate Marion County case involving charges of exploiting the elderly (less than $10,000) and multiple counts of fraudulent use of personal identification information.
On Tuesday, September 3, Savage is scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m., according to jail records.