A Leesburg woman was arrested Tuesday morning after allegedly stealing Florida Lottery tickets the previous day from a Kangaroo convenience store.
The manager at the Kangaroo at 1331 W. North Blvd. summoned Leesburg police when a woman, later identified as 42-year-old Melissa Marie Gordon, entered the store.
The manager recognized Gordon as the same person captured on a surveillance video the day before which showed her reaching over the counter, grabbing lottery tickets and concealing them on her person, according to the arrest report.
Officers stopped Gordon a short distance from the convenience store and detained her. She was taken back to the store where the manager identified her as the thief. The police confirmed that she was the woman in the video as she has a distinctive tattoo on her left upper arm which was visible in the video. Gordon admitted to stealing the lottery tickets worth $180.
Gordon has five previous theft convictions including stealing from a tip jar at a local business and taking groceries from a Winn-Dixie grocery store.
She was arrested on a theft charge which was elevated to a felony due to her prior convictions. She was booked at the Lake County Jail where bond was set at $2,000.
