A Groveland woman was arrested for theft after switching barcode stickers at a Dollar General store in Mascotte.
Police responded to a theft in progress at the Dollar General, located at 441 East Myers Boulevard, on the afternoon of Saturday, Sept. 2, according to an arrest report from the Mascotte Police Department.
Upon arrival, the officers met the store clerk who stated that 32-year-old Sidney Michelle Crawford was using the restroom. The officers walked over and asked Crawford if she had a receipt for the items she bought, to which she advised she had it in her car along with the items, the report said.
The group walked out to Crawford’s vehicle, and the officers observed several items that had $1 barcodes with a different item description on the sticker. The stickers covered the real barcodes so only the $1 barcode would scan, the report said.
Seeing this, the officers asked Crawford if all the items that were bought in the store were there in the trunk, to which she stated some items were not from Dollar General. She was then asked how the stickers on each item were put there, but she offered no explanation. Additionally, the receipt she handed the officers was addressed to a different Dollar General in Groveland. The officers had her place all the items from the store back into a shopping cart and went into the store to match them, the report said.
During the investigation, it became apparent that each item that was scanned had a $1 barcode that was taken from another item and stuck onto the scanned item. After the store clerk entered each one that was taken, it amounted to 21 items. These included a $25 Luxury House Toy and $10.45 Fritos, the report said.
Surveillance video showed Crawford switching tags and placing items in her cart before walking over to self-checkout. She failed to scan several items, including a case of water, Gatorade packs and a 12-pack of Dr. Pepper. A Dollar General gift card was used to pay the amount of $16.66. Crawford left the store and placed the stolen items in her vehicle, the report said.
Crawford was subsequently arrested on charges of petit theft and scheme to defraud. Her gift card was refunded $16 after all items were accounted for, and she was transported to the Lake County Jail. She was released after posting $1,500 bond.
