A Leesburg woman was arrested for theft after stashing $16 in stolen jewelry in a cigarette case at Walmart.
An employee of Walmart, located at 2501 Citrus Blvd., noticed 40-year-old Michelle Lou Flanagan stealing merchandise at 2:40 p.m. Wednesday, March 18, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department.
He saw her walk to the jewelry department, where she picked up a box with a Los Folio watch and bracelet combination valued at $16.98. She then went to another aisle where she put the jewelry in her brown purse, the report said.
Flanagan later told law enforcement that she was going to buy the jewelry. However, the box was found in the aisle to the right of the changing rooms, while the jewelry sat concealed in a metal cigarette container in the side pouch of her purse, the report said.
A subsequent check of her criminal history revealed a prior theft conviction on Oct. 19, 2023, out of Lake County. She had also been trespassed from the store on Jan. 26 for shoplifting, the report said.
Flanagan was arrested on charges of retail theft (one prior conviction) and trespass after warning. The native of the Philippines was booked at Lake County Jail without bond