A 38-year-old woman is accused of fraudulently returning items to an Ocala Walmart for store credit, and then attempting to use the self-checkout lane to purchase two other items valued at $27 in an attempt to conceal and steal over $1,300 in other merchandise.
Shortly after 12 p.m. on Friday, August 22, an Ocala Police Department officer responded to the Walmart located at 2600 SW 19th Avenue Road in reference to a theft incident. The store advised that a female suspect, identified as Silver Springs resident Britney Marlana Hay, was in the process of stealing multiple items at the self-checkout register, according to the arrest report.
The officer noted in the report that Hay was captured on live surveillance footage concealing numerous items in grocery bags after pretending to scan them. She allegedly only scanned “two shirts and a soda,” which were valued at around $27.
Hay then allegedly attempted to exit the store with a shopping cart filled with the stolen merchandise. According to the report, the stolen items were valued at $1,358.79 and included a bicycle, along with various cosmetic, hygiene, and clothing products.
A loss prevention associate informed OPD that prior to the theft, Hay allegedly entered the store, grabbed two bottles of shampoo from a shelf, and fraudulently returned both items without a receipt. She was given a credit of $55.86, which was then used to purchase the two shirts and soda that were mentioned above, according to the report.
Hay was detained while trying to leave the store. After being read her Miranda rights, she claimed that she “only [had] $30 in her wallet” when she entered the store. She allegedly admitted to fraudulently returning the shampoo bottles, as well as stealing the bicycle and numerous items that were found in the shopping cart.
During the post-Miranda interview, Hay allegedly stated that she “needed the items for her house.”
Hay was placed under arrest and booked into Marion County Jail, where she remains in custody on a $2,500 bond. She is being charged with retail grand theft.
Jail records show that Hay is scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, September 24.