A Leesburg woman was arrested for theft after dropping a backpack full of stolen food and jewelry while fleeing from a Walmart employee.
An officer responded to Walmart, located at 2501 Citrus Blvd., regarding a retail theft around 9:40 a.m. Friday, Oct. 25, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department.
Upon arrival, the officer was informed by dispatch that the suspect, later identified as 23-year-old Kiara Elizabeth Woods, had already left the scene in a blue Lincoln Town Car and was headed southbound on U.S. Highway 27 into the city. The vehicle was later determined to be registered to another subject that lived at Woods’ residence, the report said.
The officer proceeded to speak with the store’s loss prevention employee who provided a description of Woods. The employee stated that at about 9:30 a.m., Woods began concealing items from the jewelry and grocery sections. She tried to leave the store with the merchandise concealed in her black backpack about 15 minutes later, the report said.
After Woods passed all points of sale without paying for any of the hidden items, the employee confronted her, telling her to return to the store and wait for the police. She initially appeared to comply by briefly re-entering the store before discarding her backpack with the stolen items and fleeing the premises. She then got into the blue Lincoln and left the property, the report said.
The officer reviewed the surveillance footage, which confirmed Woods’ actions as described by the employee. She was observed concealing items in her bag and bypassing all possible points of sale, clearly intending to steal the merchandise, the report said.
Upon inspecting the bag Woods abandoned, the officer found it contained one $7.97 Dove body spray, a bag of $3.17 jasmine rice, one $3.98 smoked sausage, a $9.98 red Henley T-shirt, a $5.00 pair of shorts, a $5.88 multi-pack of earrings, a $5.98 multi-pack of anklets, and a $15.98 jewelry gift set. The subtotal of the items was $65.82, the report said.
The backpack also contained a Social Security card under Woods’ name. The officer ran her name through the LPD Communication Center, which found her driver’s license. He compared the photo with the CCTV footage of Woods’ face, confirmed it was the same person, the report said.
The officer was able to contact Woods over the phone, and she agreed to meet with him at the LPD. At 11:35 a.m., she was read her rights, after which she confessed to stealing from Walmart, the report said.
Woods was then arrested on charge of petit retail theft (less than $750) and transported to Lake County Jail. She was released after posting $1,000 bond.