A mother turned herself in this past week after learning she was wanted on a warrant for switching price tags at a Walmart self-checkout.
At about 7:22 p.m., Oct. 17, an officer with the Clermont Police Department responded to Walmart Supermarket, located at 1450 Johns Lake Rd., regarding a theft that occurred a few nights prior, according to an affidavit of probable cause out of Lake County.
Upon arrival, the officer met with the store’s loss prevention officer who stated that at about 11 p.m., Oct. 14, he observed a woman, later identified as 39-year-old Angela Maria Aviles of Clermont, and her children at the self-checkout scanning merchandise that did not have the appropriate sales ticket, the affidavit said.
The loss prevention officer noticed Aviles, paused the transaction and gave her an opportunity to change her behavior. She instead continued to switch sales tags off the merchandise and add the merchandise into the bottom of her cart along with bagged items. She proceeded to hand a bag to an undisclosed individual who placed a box of Pokémon cards in the bag, the affidavit said.
Once the transaction was complete, Aviles and her children proceeded to the grocery exit, passing all points of sale without paying for the merchandise that was not scanned. The loss prevention officer then approached and asked them to enter the Asset Protection Office. Aviles refused, pushed past him and told her children to follow her as they abandoned the cart, the affidavit said.
The loss prevention officer pursued them outside and saw them get into a gray four-door sedan before leaving the parking lot. All the unscanned merchandise, which totaled $173.48, was recovered, the affidavit said.
The loss prevention officer did not wish to prosecute Aviles for pushing past him, but he did sign a sworn written statement with the intent to prosecute on behalf of Walmart. He also provided a copy of the video surveillance footage of the incident, the affidavit said.
The affidavit noted the loss prevention officer was able to identify Aviles through the Lake County Sheriff’s Office website inmate search as well as prior thefts she was charged for. The officer asked dispatch to run Aviles’ information through a police database and a criminal history check for prior thefts. She had two prior convictions from May 13 and Aug. 1.
Contact was attempted at the Clermont residence listed on Aviles’ driver’s license, but it was unsuccessful, the affidavit said.
Aviles ultimately turned herself in to Lake County Jail for a warrant charging her with petit theft (third or subsequent offense), contributing to delinquency of a child and retail theft (resist merchant). Bond was set at $4,500.