A Leesburg woman was arrested for theft after leaving Walmart with a cart containing over $1,155 worth of merchandise, including Monster energy drinks and Twizzlers.
An officer was dispatched to Walmart, located at 2501 Citrus Blvd., around 9:41 a.m. Oct. 19 according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. The call was about 21-year-old Shalee Casey who pushed a shopping cart full of merchandise out the doors, passing all points of sale and leaving the property.
Upon arrival, the officer met with an asset protection employee. She stated that at about 9:30 a.m., she observed a woman in a black hoodie, a pink undershirt, a bonnet and black leggings walking out of Walmart with a shopping cart full of merchandise that was unpaid for. The subject, later identified as Casey, left through the general merchandise doors, the report said.
Casey could be seen crossing U.S. Highway 27 with the shopping cart. The employee advised that she was unsure of what all the items were in the shopping cart but was able to identify eight Monster energy drinks worth $16.96, three bags of Twizzlers worth $7.74 and a Walmart shopping cart worth $742.56 for a total of $767.26. She could not verify the other items that were stolen in the shopping cart, the report said.
The employee also gave the officer video surveillance footage to review. In the video, he saw Casey, who he was familiar with from previous encounters, pushing a shopping cart full of items out of the store. She then exited the parking lot and left the property, the report said.
Once the officer left the store, he checked the area where he had last seen Casey walking toward in the video footage. The location was in a wooded area directly behind 2500 Citrus Blvd., and he immediately spotted the shopping cart full of merchandise. He also found Casey wearing the same clothes from the footage standing about 30-35 feet from the cart, the report said.
Casey was secured in handcuffs while another officer returned the cart to Walmart. The asset protection employee inventoried the products in the cart, which had 52 general merchandise items and an additional total of $416.59. The grand total of all merchandise stolen was 64 items worth $1,159.15. The employee later provided two receipts of the items for law enforcement, the report said.
Additionally, a criminal history check revealed Casey had one prior conviction for retail theft on Dec. 11, 2023, the report said.
Casey was arrested and charged with grand theft (more than $750 less than $5k). She was transported to Lake County Jail with bond set at $2,500.
She has been arrested in the past as a teenager in relation to vandalism at the Venetian Center in Leesburg.
