A Leesburg woman was arrested after allegedly pushing a Publix employee out of the way when asked to return five packages of stolen steak.
Officers responded to Publix, located at 717 N 14th Street, regarding a retail theft around 5:37 p.m. Sunday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Dispatch advised that a woman matching the description of 56-year-old Rosa Lee Taylor left the store carrying a brown bag containing steaks. She went northbound toward Mama Mia Pizza, located at 755 N 14th Street.
One of the officers arrived in the area and observed Taylor at Sam’s Seafood next to Mamma Mia Pizza. He saw her throw a brown bag under a nearby vehicle. The officer subsequently approached and detained her, the report said.
Another officer got to the scene and retrieved the brown bag from underneath the nearby vehicle. It contained five packages of steak, nine in total, and one package of BC Powder. While in custody, Taylor told the officers she had a pipe in her bra, the report said.
A third officer arrived at Sam’s Seafood and placed Taylor under arrest wherein she was brought back to Publix to finish the investigation. The store manager advised that while working, his meat manager contacted him and informed him that she saw Taylor with a large stack of steaks sitting next to a purse in a shopping cart. Taylor walked down an aisle, and by the time she got to the end of it, the steaks were no longer in the cart. However, her purse appeared to be “a lot bigger,” the report said.
After being notified of this, the store manager walked the aisle and could not find any abandoned items. He approached Taylor and observed Publix meat products in her purse. He questioned her as to where the steaks she had in her cart were located, to which she claimed to have no idea what he was talking about, the report said.
Taylor then walked toward the exit of the store with her purse full of steaks and BC Powder as the store manager followed. He told her multiple times that he was “going to need back” the steaks in her purse, to which she reiterated she did not know what he was talking about. As she passed all points of sale and tried to leave the store, she shoved the store manager out of her way as he tried getting the stolen items back, the report said.
The store manager and the meat manager completed sworn statements, with the former indicating his intent to prosecute on behalf of Publix. The five packages of steak and the package of BC Powder were returned to the store. Their total value was $132.29, the report said.
A search conducted later yielded a purple and black glass pipe, commonly used to smoke narcotics, in Taylor’s left bra cup, the report said.
Additionally, a criminal history check revealed Taylor had two or more prior convictions for theft from July 31 and Aug. 19, the report said.
Taylor was ultimately charged with petit theft (two or more prior convictions), drug paraphernalia (possess or use) and retail theft (resists merchant). She was transported to Lake County Jail with bond set at $7,000.
She was also arrested in June on a warrant for the alleged theft of over $250 worth of baby clothes from Target.
